Trapped
by superstargirl7
Summary: Complete. What would have happened if Brooke got caught in the middle of Lucas' plan to bring Dan down with his account book, had he never given it to Deb. Set during season 2, Keith never left Tree Hill. MAJOR BRUCAS! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

O.K., so this is my first fan fic, so I really hope you'll like it. Please let me know what you think! :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 1**

Lucas stared at the strikingly pretty girl that slept soundly in his arms and couldn't help but smile to himself. Finally, after so much heartache, he was truly and completely happy. Brooke, the girl he loved so much it made his heart hurt, had finally admitted she shared his feelings. That night, the two of them got into yet another uncalled-for fight, and in the midst of everything, Brooke had burst into tears, unable to hide her emotions anymore, and told Lucas that she loved him too. From the instant he saw the tears trickling down her cheeks, Lucas wrapped Brooke's trembling body in his arms, holding on to her as tightly as he could, and didn't let go of her ever since. Lucas kept on holding on to Brooke's figure as the two lay in her bed, and only loosened his grip when Brooke's peaceful deep breaths and tenseless body ensured that she was fast asleep. Only then was he certain that she wouldn't have a change of heart and leave him again.

"I love you, pretty girl", Lucas caressed her cheek gently and kissed her forehead lightly, careful not to wake her up. "I'll never leave you again, Brooke. I promise…"

* * *

"Lucas!", Lucas jerked his head off the café table he had been resting it on. He opened his ocean-colored eyes groggily and stared at the source of the voice. It was extremely early in the morning, but he knew he must talk to the man that was standing in front of him at a time in which as few as possible ears could hear their conversation.

Bearing that thought in mind, he rose to his feet quietly that morning, coming out of the warm cozy bed he would have loved to remain in, careful not to wake Brooke up. Lucas looked at her worriless face and smiled. He wished he could have snuck back into her bed next to her and held her body in his arms, but what he needed to do couldn't wait. Lucas tore a page out of one of Brooke's notebooks and grabbed a pen from her desk. He scribbled a few sentences on the paper and placed it in his place, on the pillow he had slept on that night. He gave his girlfriend one last loving glance and left.

"Lucas, are you with me?", Lucas snapped out of his daydream.

"I'm sorry, Andy. How are you?", Lucas greeted his mother's boyfriend.

"I'm fine", Andy sat down and gave Lucas a questioning look, "did you find anything new?".

Lucas surveyed the café carefully, making sure nobody was looking at them before he pulled a black account book out of his backpack.

"He's been hiding this in his ceiling along with a bag full of money", Lucas filled Andy in.

Andy took the book from Lucas and studied it, a frown emerging on his face, "You could bring him down with this. This is major financial fraud!", Andy declared.

"Great!", Lucas exclaimed and let out a joyful chuckle, "He's finally gonna get what he deserves!".

"Are you gonna turn him in?", Andy inquired.

"Better! I'm gonna play by his rules. Now I've got something I could use against him anytime I want. Now I have the upper hand!".

"Lucas, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I'm leaving for New-Zealand tonight. Are you positive you can handle this alone?", Andy asked uneasily.

"Andy, you've helped more than enough. And besides – as long as I have this account book, there's no way he will do anything to me", Lucas reassured.

Andy and Lucas smiled at each other, laughing happily at what they thought only the two of them knew. Little did they know that at that very moment, the man they were both scheming against was sitting outside the café, watching their every move.

"So you think you've outsmarted your old man?", Dan smirked to himself, "Game on, Lucas, game on…"

* * *

"Hey boyfriend!", Lucas felt Brooke's gentle fingers softly touch his neck as she kissed his lips, greeting him that morning in the school yard. "When I woke up this morning and you weren't there, I thought that it was all a dream", Brooke whispered huskily into his ear and then kissed his neck, sending chills down his spine.

"Didn't you see my letter?", Lucas tightened his grip on her body, enjoying the feeling of her touch.

"That's when I knew my dream came true", Brooke looked at Lucas, her eyes flirting with his and her fingers resting on his chest.

"So you liked it?", Lucas smiled, his hypnotizing eyes sparkling.

"I did. Especially because I really like the boy who wrote it", Lucas' smile widened. He took Brooke's sweet, cherry lips in his and gently kissed her. He felt Brooke smile in his lips, and immediately respond. As her lips kissed him back, Lucas held onto Brooke and deepened the kiss, getting lost in his own world, which consisted only of Brooke and himself.

"You guys – get a room!", Brooke and Lucas pulled apart and turned around to see Haley staring at them, and the couple began to giggle.

"I think English class is empty right now. We could go there…", Brooke winked at Lucas playfully, and now all three friends shared a laugh.

"Come on, you two love birds. Class is about to start…", Haley pulled Brooke by the hand, and they all headed to class.

In the parking lot, a smirking Dan Scott clapped his hands together in contentment. He had been sitting in his car the whole time, watching Brooke and Lucas, examining their every move.

Ever since that morning, when he found out how his son was scheming to blackmail him, he knew he had to find Lucas' weak spot. Upon seeing how genuinely happy Lucas had been when Brooke was around him, all of his questions had been answered. Bingo! He now knew how he would hit Lucas hard. With that thought in mind, Dan laughed to himself and turned the engine of the car on, and left the parking lot. It was only a matter of time before Lucas would have the scare of his life…


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, thank you so much for your reviews! It truly means a lot to me that you liked the first chapter! For all of you guys that hated Dan, just read this chapter to see what he does next (lol, he actually gets worse...)! Anyway, this is the second chapter, which I hope you will like as well. Please tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 2**

"Hold on just a minute!", Brooke hollered at the person who had just rung her doorbell. She quickly put her new, shiny earrings on and studied her reflection in the mirror. Wearing a silky black dress that fit her just right and that accentuated her gorgeous features – she was a knock out. Brooke smiled and went to open the door.

"Hey you…', she smiled at her boyfriend, her eyes twinkling playfully.

"Wow!", Lucas' jaw dropped as he got a good look at his girlfriend, "You look amazing!", Lucas couldn't get his eyes off of Brooke.

"Back at you, boyfriend", Brooke couldn't get enough of Lucas either. Wearing light pants and a formal white shirt, he looked as handsome as humanly possible. The two were heading over to Tric, where Keith was about to celebrate his birthday party. Even before Brooke and Lucas got back together, Keith and Karen had both invited Brooke to come, as they shared a special bond with her, regardless of Lucas, but until Lucas and her were a couple again, Brooke sadly declined, fearing that her presence would be awkward. But the day they got back together, Brooke cheerfully informed Lucas that he was to pick her up at 8 p.m. sharp the night of the party, so they could both arrive on time.

Lucas indeed arrived exactly at 8 p.m., but at the moment, he couldn't care less whether they arrived on time or not. He stepped up closer to Brooke and pulled her close to him, passionately kissing her lips. Brooke returned the kiss, her hands grabbing Lucas' muscular shoulders and then coming up to his face. While kissing, Lucas picked Brooke's light body up so she could be eye-leveled with him, and deepened the kiss. He began to back into Brooke's house with Brooke in his arms when she abruptly stopped the kiss.

"Lucas, we're gonna be late…", Brooke was pretty much breathless, but managed to say. Lucas looked into her hazel eyes with his mesmerizing blue eyes with lust, and just smiled. Without saying a word, he lowered his lips onto Brooke's neck and began kissing her soft, delicate skin long, warm kisses, his tongue lightly caressing her neck and his lips gently sucking her skin.

"Lucas…", Brooke moaned. She didn't really want him to stop, but she also wanted to arrive on time. She gently tried to pull apart, but Lucas persistently pulled her back into him, passionately pressing his lips against her body as he walked deeper into Brooke's house. He lowered Brooke down to her living room couch and lay on top of her, gently pressing his masculine body against her slender figure, which was slightly trembling in passion. As his trail of kisses went from her neck to her shoulders, Lucas' hands went into Brooke's hair, massaging her head.

"Are you messing up my hair?", Brooke managed to break loose of Lucas' grip and sat up. Lucas couldn't help but laugh. Brooke was so high maintenance and so obsessed with her looks. Brooke straightened her hair and got up to her feet, giving Lucas a hand and helping him up too. "Come on, Luke, let's go".

"Brooke…", Lucas protested. All he wanted at the moment was to be with her and nothing else.

"Broody, we'll have plenty of time for that later", Brooke looked at him, flirting with his eyes, until Lucas stopped pouting and followed Brooke out of the house.

"Alright… But I'm gonna hold you to this promise", he informed her.

"You'd better", Brooke winked at him and together they left for the party.

* * *

"Brooke, Lucas! I'm so glad you arrived, we were starting to get worried…", Keith greeted the two of them as Karen waved to them from the bar. She was scheduled to leave to New Zealand that night to visit Andy, but promised Keith to attend his party and decided she might as well be working and gave Deb the night off.

"Brooke was taking forever to get ready", Lucas fibbed and smiled at Brooke, who smiled back while poking Lucas' chest with her elbow.

"You know me", she smiled widely, going along with Lucas.

"Well, it doesn't matter as long as you're here", Keith gave each one a squeeze on the shoulder.

"You're right, it doesn't", Lucas said and then grew silent, looking at his uncle with love.

"Happy birthday, Keith", they both wished him, each one giving the kind and beloved man a big hug.

Keith laughed happily as the two hugged him and then looked at them, "Now go have fun", He set them away, but immediately pulled them back, "and by 'fun' I don't mean alcohol, are we clear?", Keith warned the both of them, but truly intended his warn only to Brooke, knowing that where there's alcohol, she had her ways to get it. Brooke looked into Keith's eyes and time and time again was touched by the fatherly care he expressed towards her. The fatherly care her own father never expressed.

"Scout's honor", Brooke held her fingers up and pledged, causing Keith and Lucas to laugh, and then let her true self shine through her perky façade. "Thanks for caring", Brooke hugged Keith again. Surprised by her unpredictable reaction, it took him a moment before he returned her hug. When they broke apart, Brooke had little tears shining in her eyes. "I wish you the happiest birthday ever!", she smiled at him sweetly, quickly wiping the tears away.

"Thank you, sweetie", Keith took her hands in his and squeezed them, smiling at her reassuringly. Lucas put his arm around Brooke's shoulder and the two went deeper into Tric.

"You o.k.?", Lucas rubbed Brooke's shoulders and looked at her face.

"I'm fine", she smiled at him confidently, regaining her composure, "Dance with me", she asked him in her husky voice. Lucas pulled her to the dance floor, and the two began to sway together to the sounds of a heartfelt ballade. Lucas pulled Brooke a bit closer to him and hugged her body tightly. Dancing with her so close to him, he thought that nothing could ruin that perfect moment. He was wrong.

A minute later, as Lucas looked over at the bar, he spotted none other than Dan Scott, a huge amount of empty shot glasses in front of him, two full ones still on the counter, and another one in his hand. As Dan was taking one shot after another, his eyes didn't move off of Lucas and Brooke.

"What the hell is he doing here?", Lucas asked in rage, pulling apart from Brooke. Brooke turned in the direction that Lucas was staring at, and spotted Dan as well.

"Babe, just ignore him", she pleaded with Lucas, holding on to his shoulders, but she was fighting a lost battle, and she knew it.

Lucas darted in Dan's direction and stood right in front of him, their faces almost touching. "Why are you here?', Lucas questioned coldly, knowing that expressing his rage in front of Dan would only cause Dan to feel powerful.

"I was… invited… _by my brother_", Dan obviously seemed very drunk, as he struggled to complete one coherent sentence and whispered the last part of it.

"Oh yeah?", Lucas cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "We'll just have to see about that", Lucas gave Dan an intimidating glare and left him in search of Keith. Dan just laughed evilly. His plan was working out as he had planned. He stood up on his feet unstably and walked towards Brooke, who remained on the dance floor alone.

"Hello Miss Davis", Dan smirked at her, his rough hand laying on her shoulder, "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Scott… Are you o.k.?", she tried to look at him, but his eyes wandered around the room without focus. _"He is so wasted…"_, Brooke thought to herself.

"Come on, Mr. Scott, let's help you get a seat", she tried to help him off the dance floor, and groaned as she felt his weightful body leaning on her.

"You look pretty today, Ms. Davis", Dan was now giggling as he let himself run his hands through Brooke's silky hair. Brooke was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. She searched the room with her eyes, but found no trace of Lucas or Keith.

"Mr. Scott, I think you had a little too much to drink. Why don't I call a cab so that you can go home?", Brooke suggested kindly, but Dan wasn't listening.

"Let's dance", Dan suddenly pulled Brooke into his arms and began twirling around the dance floor.

"Mr. Scott, please stop", Brooke was desperately trying to slip away from his grip, but the more she tried, the harder he locked his fingers around her body and the closer to him he had brought her.

"Mr. Scott, I'm really not comfortable with this", Brooke pleaded with him as her body was already completely attached to his. She tried to push him away, but he was just digging his fingers more and more into her flesh, painfully squeezing her skin.

"Oh really?", Dan smirked, his face now almost touching Brooke's. She tried to turn her head away, now unable to block out the strong smell of alcohol coming from his mouth, but he was holding on to her as hard as hell. "And are you comfortable with this?", Dan dove his head towards hers and out of nowhere, kissed her lips.

"Stop!", Brooke tried to shout from his mouth, but he wouldn't let her move. Tears sprung to Brooke's eyes for the second time that night, but now her tears were tears of pain and fear. She tried to kick and hit Dan, she tried to push him, but it was no use – her small body could never compete with his strong and large one. She felt her body shaking as Dan brutally bit her lips and powerfully stuck his tongue into her mouth.

"_Come on, Lucas, where are you?"_, she asked in her heart as more tears flowed down her cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to thank everyone who has been reading my story so far, and especially all of you guys who sent in reviews! You have no idea how reading what you wrote about my fanfic brightens my day! Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well! :-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 3**

"Lucas! What's up, man?", Lucas, who had been looking for Keith all over the place, turned around to see Nathan and Haley talking to Keith in the entrance of the club.

"Hey Nate, Haley", Lucas came over to hug each one of them, but was too distracted to engage in serious conversation with them. After hugging them, he immediately turned to face Keith, "Did you invite Dan over?", Lucas asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Of course not, why?", Keith looked at him inquiringly.

"I knew it!", Lucas exclaimed, "He's here Keith, and he's claiming you invited him", Lucas filled Keith in and then began to turn to where he had left Dan, "I'm going to kick him out".

"Wait, Lucas", Keith grabbed his hand and stopped him, "just leave him there".

"But Keith…", Lucas began to protest, but was interrupted by Keith.

"For me, Lucas. I just want a happy evening without any scenes caused by my brother", Keith explained. Lucas was about to obey, but Haley suddenly caught his and Nathan's arms in alarm.

"Guys, isn't that Brooke over there?", she gestured to Brooke, who was still help captive in Dan's arms, unwillingly forced to kiss him.

"Oh my god…", Nathan said and Lucas just stared silently, his head beginning to pound with anger. The four of them raced towards Dan and Brooke, Lucas and Nathan arriving there first due to their athletic form. Lucas pushed Dan off of his girlfriend and Nathan caught Brooke, whose legs were trembling fearfully so much, that she almost fell to the floor. He hugged her tightly as she sobbed into his chest.

"What the hell, dad?", Nathan exclaimed, looking at his father, who was being held back by Lucas. It took every ounce of Lucas' mental strength in order to remain from beating his father up for touching Brooke like that, but he kept himself together for Keith's sake, not wanting to make more of a scene.

"You'd better keep a better eye on your girlfriend, Lucas", Dan was swaying unsteadily, "she's an easy one". That did it. Lucas knocked Dan to the floor, forcefully hitting his face. Suddenly, Dan's unfocused gaze became completely focused, and he stared at Lucas in the eye.

"If you think you've outsmarted me, think again, _son_", Dan warned him, saying the last word mockingly. "Your little girlfriend will be the one to pay for your stupid attempts to bring me down".

"She's not my girlfriend. Brooke is just a friend", Lucas lied through his teeth. He knew that Dan had hit home with his target, and had to think quickly in order to try and change Dan's target. Dan just laughed, starting to act drunk again. Nobody but Lucas saw that it was all an act, and Dan knew that if everyone believed that he was drunk, he would be let off the hook for his behavior. But Dan's laughter wasn't only an act, as he was now ascertained that the way to get to Lucas would be through Brooke. No matter what Lucas would say, the look in his eyes had just said it all.

Dan felt Lucas punch his face a few more times before being pulled off of him by Keith. Nathan joined Keith in breaking the two apart, as Haley took over with Brooke, guiding her shaky friend to a seat at the bar.

"Danny, what were you thinking? You could be her father!", Keith scolded Dan, who leaned on him as if he had no spinal chord. Dan just giggled, his head falling forwards, and Keith shook his head with pity, "Let's get you out of here, Danny". Keith was about to take Dan outside when Lucas interrupted them.

"What, Keith? You're just gonna let him get away with what he did like that?", Lucas was furious. Dan was winning big time, and he couldn't allow that to happen. Lucas walked towards Dan and attempted to hit him square in the face, but Nathan caught his arm and stopped him, as Keith stepped away with Dan, moving him away from Lucas' reach.

"Come on, Luke, he's not worth it", Nathan tried to convince Lucas, whose tense body continued to fight Nathan, striving to reach Dan. "Look, instead of blowing all of this energy on our idiot of a father, you may want to focus your attention on Brooke", Nathan reasoned with him, and succeeded this time. Lucas gave Dan one last hateful glare, and then turned around and headed to Brooke with Nathan, while Keith took Dan outside and put him in a cab.

* * *

"Brooke, sweetheart, what happened?", the minute Karen had laid eyes on Brooke, she questioned worriedly. Karen had been busy attending costumers, therefore missing the entire scene.

Brooke was shaking and crying, and therefore did not answer, so Karen just pulled her into the bar and brought her to her in a big hug. As Karen's arms embraced her gently, Brooke broke down and let out a loud sob. Karen's stomach dropped as she felt the young girl's body tremble against hers as she cried uncontrollably, unable to stop the tears. Karen just held her tightly, allowing her to let it all out.

Karen turned around, holding Brooke, to face Haley, and looked at her questioningly. Haley mouthed the word _"DAN"_ to Karen.

"Dan?!", Karen gasped in shock, causing Brooke to break into another round of loud sobs. "Oh honey…", Karen held Brooke tightly, rocking her in her arms in an attempt to help her feel secure. Her heart broke to see Brooke, who was always so cheerful and happy, so shaken up. At that very moment she could have killed Dan for whatever it was he had done to her.

Slowly, Brooke managed to calm herself down and pulled apart from Karen. Upon taking a good look at her face, Karen's eyes widened and she left Brooke for a moment, returning with ice and a cloth, and pressing the ice against Brooke's lower lip, which was bleeding. Brooke winced in pain and pulled away, tears of pain forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…", Karen apologized and handed the cloth with the ice over to Brooke, "here- you do it". Brooke took the cloth and brought it to her lip, pressing it a little more gently.

"Thank you…", Brooke managed to say faintly. Karen smiled at her, her kind eyes looking straight into Brooke's teary hazel eyes, and brushed away the tears from her cheek.

"Brooke!", Brooke's attention was shifted from Karen to Lucas, who came running towards her and entered the bar as well. "Are you alright?", he asked, the panic in his eyes quite evident.

"Yeah…", Brooke nodded her head and said in a shaky voice.

"Good", Lucas was relieved, but then turned to do what he knew he had to do, what broke his heart to do, and was anything but relieving to him, "Look, Brooke, I think we should cool things down for a while".

"Are you serious?", the hurt in Brooke's voice was killing him inside. Lucas closed his eyes, unable to look at Brooke's teary face anymore. He hated to see Brooke crying and hated it even more when it was because of him. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to do this, for Brooke's safety, and opened his eyes again.

"I'm sorry…", he said softly, his eyes trying to signal to Brooke that he still deeply loves her, but Brooke was far too upset to notice it.

"I can't believe you think I wanted this!", Brooke was completely broken, "you might as well call me a slut, because that's what you seem to think of me…", Brooke snapped at him. She put the cloth down and began taking off.

"Brooke, wait! That's not what I…", Lucas called after her, but Brooke was already lost in the crowd.

"Great job on that, Luke!", Haley gave him a light shove in the shoulder to show her displeasure of his insensitive behavior, before walking away from the bar in search of Brooke.

Lucas remained there alone with his mother, his frustration building up more and more. Karen sighed and put a comforting hand on her son's shoulder.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm right here", Karen said, and upon seeing her son's sad face, sighed, "Lucas, if you need me to stay…"

"No mom! You should go… This is something I have to do on my own…"

* * *

**AN: O.K., I know that right now things don't seem too optimistic with Brooke and Lucas, but this is definitely a Brucas story, so bear with me (I promise you I have some nice Brucas moments planned ahead!). :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**First of all, thanks to everyone who's been sending me reviews- from those who have been following my story from the beginning to those who have just joined! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 4**

"Brooke? Brooke!", after Haley found no trace of her friend inside the club, she walked outside, thinking she might be in the parking lot. Haley surveyed the lot, standing on the stairs leading to Tric, and spotted Brooke at its very end, walking without her coat and on her stiletto shoes towards the highway.

"God…", Haley sighed, the sight of her hurt friend sending chills down her spine, and ran to catch up with her. Wearing comfortable, stable-heeled boots, Haley had quickly reached Brooke and caught her bare arm in order to stop her, immediately sensing how cold Brooke's body was.

"Brooke, you're freezing…", Haley exclaimed, rubbing Brooke's uncovered arms and shoulders with her hands. She looked at Brooke's face, and felt her heart twitch at the sight of her friend's fractured state. "Oh, sweetie, come here", Haley hugged Brooke's body, which was shaking from how cold she was and how hard she was crying.

"I can't believe that's what Lucas thinks of me…", Brooke cried.

"Come on, let's get you home", Haley suggested and Brooke nodded, too tired to lead her own way. Haley called Nathan and in no time the three of them were in his car, headed home.

All the way home, Brooke, who had been sitting alone in the backseat, wrapped in Nathan's coat but still shivering, was sobbing quietly, breaking Haley and Nathan's hearts into pieces.

"We can't leave her at home alone right now", Haley whispered to Nathan, knowing that there would be nobody to take care of Brooke in her house, as usual. Nathan glanced at Brooke through the rear-view mirror, and quickly looked back forward, needing to focus n the road, but also unable to see her looking so broken.

"There's no way in hell that I'm leaving her alone", Nathan told Haley.

Pretty soon they arrived in Nathan and Haley's apartment. Brooke, whose mind had been elsewhere, did not notice where she was until the moment she stepped out of the car.

"Guys… I'll be fine", Brooke, who did not want to burden her friends, forced herself to calm down, wiping away the mixture of tears and mascara that sullied her face.

"Hey! You're staying at our place tonight, and we won't take 'no' for an answer", Nathan declared, looking at Brooke straight in the eye and squeezing her shoulder supportively. Brooke smiled weakly, and immediately winced in pain, as she stretched her swollen, bruised lip.

"Come on, let's get inside…", Nathan wrapped his arm around Brooke's shoulders and gently guided her to his and Haley's apartment. While Brooke went to wash her face up and change into some sweats Haley had given her, Haley prepared hot chocolate for the three of them. The three friends soon sat in the living room, sipping their drinks and watching T.V.. Haley's idea of helping Brooke relax turned to be extremely successful, as she went from being an emotional mess to quickly falling asleep, the drama of the day taking its toll on her. Haley and Nathan exchanged smiles, when they noticed how the hot chocolate and the T.V. had a soothing effect on Brooke, almost as though she was still merely a child. The two silently got up from her side on the couch and covered her up in a blanket. They slipped into their bedroom, hoping for some quality time after the eventful evening they had. Haley only managed to give her husband a short kiss when they heard a knock on the door.

"Now what…", Nathan sighed. He was just starting to get into it with Haley. He gently pulled apart from her, striding to the door past a still-sleeping Brooke.

"Luke… What are you doing here?", Nathan gave his brother the cold shoulder. He stood in the doorway, not even letting Lucas into the house.

"Is Brooke here?", Lucas asked, the panic quite evident both in his voice and in his eyes, which attempted to look past Nathan into the apartment.

"Yeah, Luke, she's here. But I don't think she wants to see you right now", Nathan replied.

"Look, I've got to talk to her!", Lucas raised his voice, a sense of urgency coming from it.

"What were you thinking tonight, man?!", Nathan, misinterpreting Lucas' frightened tone, and perceiving it as an angry one, now yelled back at his brother.

"Nate, you don't understand…", Lucas began, but was quickly interrupted.

"You've got some nerve", Lucas and Nathan looked over Nathan's shoulder to see a now-awake Brooke making her way towards Lucas. She walked past Nathan and stood- face to face with Lucas, "calling me a slut once tonight wasn't enough for you, so you came for a second round?!"

"Brooke…"

"No, Lucas. I have nothing to say to you. Please just go", Brooke, who had been able to hold herself together very well so far, felt her voice crack. She couldn't break apart again, she thought to herself, taking a deep breath and pushing her emotions down.

"Damn it, Brooke!! I'm not playing around here! You need to hear what I have to say!", Lucas yelled to Brooke's face, catching her off guard and completely startling her. Nathan noticed Brooke's frightened expression and that was it for him.

"Get the hell out of my house, Luke!", Nathan shoved Lucas out of the doorway, enraged with the way he treated Brooke, not noticing that Lucas was simply frightened himself.

"Nate, stop!", Brooke pleaded with him, pulling him away from Lucas. She, unlike Nathan, realized that Lucas had something of great importance to share with her. "What is it, Luke?", she looked at him, giving him the chance to explain himself.

"I need to talk to you in private", Lucas finally said after alternating his gaze between Brooke and Nathan, contemplating what to do.

"Think again", Nathan said. He knew he was being overprotective of Brooke, but the hurt look she had in her eyes just an hour earlier didn't leave his head.

"Nate, it's o.k.", Brooke half-smiled to Nathan, reassuring him that she'll be fine. Nathan looked into her eyes and when he was certain she was sure of her request, nodded his head. He walked into the house and closed the door behind him, not before giving Lucas an intimidating glare.

When they were finally left alone, Lucas took in Brooke's appearance, his heart skipping a beat when his gaze landed on the red marks Dan had left on Brooke's fair neck and shoulder skin and on Brooke's slightly swollen lip.

"Your neck's swollen…", Lucas informed Brooke.

"I'm fine", Brooke said, eyeing Lucas as he was uncomfortably gazing at the marks his father had made to her body that night.

"Does it hurt?", Lucas sent a hand towards Brooke's neck, intending to caress it gently, but Brooke pushed it away.

"Your father hurt me, yes", Brooke replied angrily, unable to block her tears anymore, "But it's nothing compared to how much you hurt me, Luke", tears were now streaming down her face, causing Lucas to look away. He just hated to see her cry. "How could you suspect I wanted him to kiss me?!", Brooke was crying so hard her whole body was shaking.

"Brooke, I didn't think, not even for a second, that you willingly kissed Dan", Lucas informed her.

"Then why would you break up with me, Luke?", Brooke was overcome by her emotions, "this wasn't my fault", Brooke completely broke down, falling to the floor and crying her heart out. Lucas couldn't take it anymore. He knelt down beside her and stared down at his hands.

"I know… this… is all… my… fault", Lucas choked on his own tears.

"Luke?", Brooke looked up at him questioningly, trying to suppress her own sobs, taken aback by the emotion that flooded Lucas.

"I only… broke up… with… you… because I couldn't… let him… hurt you again", Lucas was now crying as well.

"What do you mean?", Brooke quietly asked. Lucas took several deep breaths, and Brooke patiently waited for him to calm down before he answered her.

"I found a way to punish Dan for everything that he had done to my mom and to Keith, but somehow he found out, and what he did tonight was only to get back at me", Lucas whispered to Brooke, ashamed that she got caught up in his mess. "Brooke", Lucas finally looked up at her, "I only broke up with you so he'll stay away from you. I can't let him hurt you again…".

"I'll help you get back at him", Brooke decided.

"There's no way in hell that I'm putting you in the middle of this again", Lucas immediately ruled out Brooke's proposal, "We'll just have to keep a low profile for a while".

"So what? You're just gonna let him win?!", Brooke asked Lucas, "He is NOT gonna tell me how to live my life. I'm not gonna stop seeing my boyfriend just because of freakin' Dan Scott!", Brooke was getting worked up. Lucas looked at her face and couldn't help but laugh. She was too cute when she got angry at something.

"What?!", Brooke looked at him, not knowing why he laughed, but unable to block out a smile.

"Come here", Lucas opened his arms and Brooke finally let herself into his embrace. Lucas gently wrapped his arms around Brooke's body, bringing her close to his heart, and for the first time after that night's incident, Brooke finally felt genuinely safe. Brooke rested her head on Lucas' shoulder as his hand softly stroked her hair, soothing her.

"Whatever he's planning – we're in this against him together", Brooke whispered to Lucas, and he just tightened his grip on her body, hoping that he wasn't making a terrible mistake that they'll both regret…

* * *

**AN: So, as I promised, Brooke and Lucas have worked things out, and I promise you that I have many great Brucas moments up ahead! This is all until next time! :-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So this is my new chapter, and as I promised, it will consist of some Brucas moments along with the usual drama. :-) I really hope that you like it, and please tell me what you think! Thanks for everyone who sent me reviews!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 5**

"Brooke…", Lucas whispered into his sleeping girlfriend's ear, his fingers traveling along her arm and shoulder, "Pretty girl, it's time to wake up", he said, kissing her lightly.

"Luke… Let's just stay in bed today…", Brooke whined groggily, her eyes still shut. Lucas smiled as he brought her closer to him and kissed her shoulder. She had never been a morning person.

"Babe, I would have loved to… But there's a game today, and you know Whitey won't let me play if I skip school".

"Game?", Brooke immediately came to life, instantaneously rising to her feet. "Why didn't you say so?". She opened her closet and started digging particles of clothing out of it, putting them against her body as she viewed herself in the mirror, and then returning them neatly to her closet and pulling out other ones.

Lucas looked at Brooke with amusement, and couldn't help but chuckle. He was amazed, time and time again, by how Brooke could become her usual cheery self if someone used the correct triggers on her, one of which was cheerleading. He stared at her lovingly, smiling as he saw no resemblance to the sleeping beauty who calmly lay beside him just moments before, and even less resemblance to the upset girl he had escorted to her room the night before, and ended up falling asleep, curled up with.

"Broody, hurry up", Brooke brought Lucas back from his daydream, "We can't be late…".

* * *

The sun had already set, and Lucas was on his way to the court. He was in the car with Nathan, Tim and two other players, and all of their spirits were high. The team had been doing extremely well lately, and the next game could bring them a step closer to the semifinals. Brooke was so certain that they would win, that she had already told Lucas that they would go celebrate together after the game. At the moment, Lucas blocked out the previous day's events and managed to be completely happy. Little did he know that in moments, his happiness would diminish.

The guys reached the court and got off the car. A moment before entering the court with his friends, Lucas spotted Dan leaning against the exterior of the building and peering into the court. Lucas followed Dan's gaze and saw Brooke stretching with the other cheerleaders.

"Luke, are you coming?", Nathan, who didn't notice his father, yelled back at Lucas.

"You guys go, I'll be there in a minute", Lucas said and was indeed left alone with his father.

"Good evening, _son_", Dan greeted Lucas, obviously having expected him.

"What are you doing here?", Lucas was getting extremely irritated by Dan's presence.

"I came to see my sons play", Dan answered with a laugh, as Lucas felt the anger building up inside him. Dan looked at him, a smug expression plastered across his face, and then looked back at Brooke, "She truly _is_ something – not every day you get to see a pair of legs like that…", Lucas knew his father was only playing mind games on him, but the sight of his father drooling over his girlfriend set him off.

"If you don't stay away from her, I'm going straight to the police, and I'll bring you down", Lucas threatened.

"I thought you'd understand by now that I call the shots here – not you…", Dan stepped up to Lucas and looked at him with an intimidating stare, "If you don't hand me back what you stole from me by tonight, you'll be very, very sorry", Dan looked him in the eye and walked away. Lucas was about to go after Dan, but Whitey suddenly appeared next to him.

"You up to a game tonight, Scott?", Whitey questioned in a scold.

"Of course coach, I just…"

"Then get your butt inside right now", Whitey ordered him, and Lucas had no option but to obey. He reluctantly followed Whitey inside, not taking his eyes off of Brooke for a second.

"Coach, I need to talk to Brooke for a minute", Lucas pleaded. He knew he needed to warn her from Dan. Whitey raised an eyebrow looking at Lucas, and then answered.

"Save your kisses for after the game. You're late as it is", Whitey informed him.

"No… It's nothing like that, I just…"

"Lucas! If you don't want to stay on the bench tonight, you're coming with me right now!", Whitey finally convinced Lucas, who followed him, still eyeing Brooke. "Come on, son", Whitey put his hand on Lucas' shoulder, softening up a bit, "Head cheerleader never leaves before the end of the game", Whitey reminded him, making Lucas feel a tiny bit better. Now all he had to worry about was getting to Brooke the moment the game ended…

* * *

"Pass me the ball!", Nathan yelled over to Lucas, who stood frozen in the middle of the court, holding the ball and unable to take his eyes off of Brooke. The game was almost over and the Ravens were winning, but Lucas had nothing to do with it. He had played extremely poorly that night, especially as the game was nearing its end. He just couldn't get the worry for Brooke off his head.

"Luke!", Nathan yelled at him again, waking him up from his daydream just in time to pass the ball before a player from the other team could grab it. Lucas forced himself to shift focus from his beautiful girlfriend who was cheering him worrilessly back to the game. He did not maintain his newly attained focus for long though, and when Tim threw the ball to him, moments later, he was too slow to catch it and it hit him square in the face.

"Oh my god, Luke!", Brooke rushed to his side and along with several of his team members, helped him to the bleachers. When Brooke took a good look at his face, she gasped as she saw his nose beginning to bleed. She gently tilted Lucas' head back, leaning it against the side of her body, and began to run her hands through his hair, comfortingly. Whitey quickly made his way to Lucas through the crowd of curious people that gathered around the couple. When he reached him, Whitey immediately took out a tissue from his pocket and pressed it against Lucas' nose, holding his head back.

"Miss Davis, why don't you go to the locker room and get a damp towel", Whitey asked her. Brooke immediately nodded and began walking away.

"Wait, Brooke! Don't go…", at the moment, Lucas didn't care that he sounded like a baby, calling out for her like that. All he had on his mind was not letting Brooke out of his sight.

"Babe, I'll be back in no time", Brooke guaranteed shining her dimpled smile at him to which he could never say no, and ran back to the locker room.

Brooke reached the locker room in moments. She opened Lucas' locker, pulling out a towel from it. Brooke then raced to the sink and stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the man who stood, arms crossed against his chest, leaning against it.

"Well, well, to what do I owe the honor of meeting with the head cheerleader one on one on a game night?", the man asked mockingly, blocking Brooke's access to the sink.

* * *

**AN: Well, I hope you like the cliffhanger ending... Don't worry though, i'm working on the next chapter already, so I won't keep you wondering for too long... :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! Because of the cliffhanger ending, I decided I had to update really fast, so I won't keep you hanging for too long... I guarantee that this chapter contains a lot of drama, and especially for _azmar_, I made this chapter longer. :-) I really hope that you'll enjoy it, and please tell me what you think! Your reviews make me smile!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time **

"_Miss Davis, why don't you go to the locker room and get a damp towel", Whitey asked her. Brooke immediately nodded and began walking away._

"_Wait, Brooke! Don't go…", at the moment, Lucas didn't care that he sounded like a baby, calling out for her like that. All he had on his mind was not letting Brooke out of his sight._

"_Babe, I'll be back in no time", Brooke guaranteed shining her dimpled smile at him to which he could never say no, and ran back to the locker room._

_Brooke reached the locker room in moments. She opened Lucas' locker, pulling out a towel from it. Brooke then raced to the sink and stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the man who stood, arms crossed against his chest, leaning against it._

"_Well, well, to what do I owe the honor of meeting with the head cheerleader one on one on a game night?", the man asked mockingly, blocking Brooke's access to the sink._

**Chapter 6**

"Mr. Scott, please…", Brooke tried to make her way to the sink past him, causing Dan to laugh at her failed attempts. The mere sight of the man who forced himself on her the day before shattered Brooke, but at the moment, her concern for Lucas helped her suppress her fear.

Brooke finally managed to maneuver her small body past Dan. She was about to open the sink when Dan yanked her from it, pulling her arm mercilessly.

"Let go!", She yelled at him, refusing to allow him to get to her. Even though Dan was really hurting her, Brooke was determined to fight him back and not give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down like a child. Brooke kicked Dan, intending to hit his stomach, but ended up hitting lower. Dan doubled in pain from the unexpected blow and released Brooke's arm. She quickly ran to the sink and tried to turn it on, but the handle was stuck. By the time she opened the nearby sink and sprayed some water on the towel, Dan had already managed to recover from her blow. He quickly walked over to the entrance of the locker room and locked the door, leaning on it after doing so.

"You and I are going to have a little chat about your manners, Miss Davis", Dan informed her, the pain she caused him still evident in his eyes. The look of rage he was giving her caused Brooke to soak in fear. She immediately took a deep breath – _"You're not gonna let him win"_, she convinced herself, regaining her mental strength. Brooke tried to move Dan out of the way, but she didn't stand a chance. Dan grabbed her arms and threw her towards the nearby wall, causing Brooke to hit it hard and then collapse to the floor, yelping in pain. Dan lunged at Brooke and lifted her to her feet, pinning her to the wall with all the power of his hands.

"Now you listen to me, pumpkin", Dan's one hand pressed Brooke's shoulders against the wall as the other held her head in a painfully strong grip, "you're gonna run off to Lucas right now and tell him to hand me back what belongs to me, or you and I are going to have a problem".

"You are not scaring me off", Brooke told Dan, even though she was drowning in her fear. Dan wasn't going to beat Brooke Davis that easily.

"Aren't you a feisty one?", Dan laughed into her face, leaning into her and trapping her body between his and the wall, his hands still pressing her shoulders and head into the wall. "I've gotta hand it to you, you're much tougher than I thought. Unfortunately, that just means I'm gonna get rougher on you…". Brooke began breathing heavily as Dan pressed on her ribs, squeezing the air out of her lungs. She was in pain and couldn't believe this was happening to her again.

"Get off of me, you perv…", Brooke choked. Not loosing her senses, she still tried to fight Dan off, kicking him, as her feet were free. Dan's face became red with fury. He would have never guessed that a petite girl like Brooke would give him such a hard time. Initially, he wasn't planning on physically harming Brooke. All he wanted was to scare her off so she would convince Lucas to surrender the account book, but now he realized he had to advance to more drastic measures. Dan lifted Brooke's body from the ground against the wall and pinned her back to it savagely when she was eye-leveled with him. Holding her arms to her sides and pressing his chest against her, thus keep her feet dangling in the air, Dan made sure that Brooke was now completely helpless against him.

"Listen, little girl, you don't want to piss me off", Dan barked into her face, "no go to Lucas and tell him to bring me my account book back, or the Tree Hill Ravens will need to find a new head cheerleader!", Dan yelled.

"Just let go of me, you psycho…", Brooke shouted back. Brooke's name-calling did it to Dan. His hands closed around her neck, squeezing it brutally. "Stop!", Brooke tried to yell, but felt how Dan was draining all the oxygen out of her body. The room began to spin around to her, and she started to see doubles. She could no longer pretend to be strong.

"You're hurting me…", Brooke's voice only made out a raspy whisper. She barely had any air left in her lungs.

"I'm not playing around with you", Dan told her, his hands increasing the force with which they grasped Brooke's neck. Brooke was struggling for air. She was fighting to remain conscious, and just when she thought Dan had defeated her, she heard a knock on the locker room's door.

"You alright in there, Brooke?", Whitey's voice sounded worried. In the gym, everyone had been wondering what was taking Brooke so long. Whitey had just mumbled something about the fact that he had to do everything on his own in order for things to work when they had all heard a thud coming from the locker room. As Nathan held Lucas, who had completely lost his calm and was trying to get up despite his injury, Whitey raced towards the locker room. Brooke didn't even have a chance to answer as Whitey immediately broke into the room, pushing the door all the way open. He was afraid that Brooke had stumbled and hurt herself, but he would have never guessed that upon opening the door, he would witness Dan strangling Brooke.

"What the hell is going on in here?!", Whitey exclaimed in fury, staring at Dan in the eye. Whitey grabbed a broom that was situated in the entrance of the locker room and threatened to whack Dan with it. In response, Dan finally let go of Brooke, causing her limp body to fall to the floor against the wall. Brooke just sat there with her head bent down, feeling so weak, she couldn't even raise her head up. She could vaguely hear Whitey shooing Dan out of the locker room in a threatening tone and could hazily see a mixture of colors and shapes fade in and out of her sight, but none of her senses captured anything coherent. Brooke could hear Whitey's voice wear a worried tone, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. His voice was getting louder and louder – _ook! rook! _was what she heard him say. _"Why isn't anything making sense to me?", _Brooke wondered. She suddenly felt someone lift her face and attempted to recognize him, her weak eyelids shading her view and getting in her way.

"Whitey…", Brooke's voice was barely audible, but Whitey, who had been inspecting her every move, sighed in relief as she finally responded to his so-far failed attempts to communicate with her.

"Brooke, stay with me, O.K.?", Whitey urged her, watching her hazel eyes hide and reappear from her eyelids. He gave her arm a squeeze and left her for a moment, returning with a bottle of water. Holding her chin up, Whitey carefully brought the bottle to her mouth and tilted it so Brooke could easily drink.

Brooke felt the cold liquid entering her mouth and making its way towards her throat. She felt so revived, but as soon as she attempted to swallow the water, a fit of coughs came upon her as her swollen throat couldn't take the water in. Whitey immediately removed the bottle from her mouth and observed Brooke worriedly as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Take it easy there, Brooke", Whitey gently slapped Brooke on her back, helping her clear her esophagus. Gradually, Brooke managed to calm down, her breaths still uneasily taken, but her senses finally sharpening. She stared at Whitey, whose concerned expression had yet to soften up, and smiled weakly.

"Thank you", Brooke mouthed, her raspy voice only making a cameo appearance in a syllable or two. Whitey nodded his head and squeezed Brooke's shoulder.

"I guess that you and Lucas will at least sit out together during tomorrow's practice", Whitey's joke was meant to bring a smile upon Brooke's face, but it only caused an alarmed expression to appear on it.

"Oh my god, Lucas!", Brooke had completely forgotten the reason she went to the locker room to begin with. The only thing that had been flashing through her mind over and over was _"account book… account book…"._ She busied herself wondering what Dan was talking about and didn't even remember she had left Lucas injured in the gym. With one move, Brooke instantly rose to her feet, but her haste had done her no good, as she immediately felt her head spinning and lost her balance.

"Slow down, Brooke", Whitey's tone was very serious. Luckily for Brooke, he had caught her just in time. Supporting her body, Whitey guided Brooke to the locker room's benches. Being a boys' basketball team's coach, Whitey was used to have fairly heavy boys leaning on him after being injured, therefore Brooke's weight felt like no weight at all. Seating her down, Whitey took a good look at the petite teenage girl that sat in front of him, wincing in pain and looking so fragile, and was shocked all over again by the memory of the sight of a strong man such as Dan Scott strangling her.

"I'm fine", Brooke's voice awakened Whitey from his dreadful memory. He realized he had been shaking his head with fury, and stopped as he saw Brooke smiling at him reassuringly.

"A man like Dan Scott belongs in jail…", Whitey mumbled, but Brooke heard what he said and was suddenly restored with determination. Now, even more than before, she had a damn good reason to help Lucas bring Dan down. Brooke just smiled at Whitey, nodding her head, but he had no idea just how much she agreed with him.

"We should probably go back to Lucas", Brooke reminded Whitey. She rose to her feet, slowly this time, and picked Lucas' towel from the floor. She opened Lucas' locker, intending to return the towel and leave, but suddenly spotted a black foreign notebook peaking from Lucas' basketball bag.

"Come on, Brooke", Whitey didn't want to leave her behind.

"You go… I'll catch up in a minute", Brooke crossed her fingers behind her back and said. To this day she couldn't lie without performing that childlike gesture. Whitey nodded at her and left her alone with the mysterious notebook.

After making sure nobody else was present, Brooke pulled it out of Lucas' bag and opened it, feeling her eyes strained by the amount of numbers that were marked on each page. Brooke frowned, studying the calculations that were made and trying to figure them out.

"_I don't get it", _the calculations didn't make sense to Brooke at all. Sure, she wasn't the best math student, but something about this book seemed fishy to Brooke. No matter what sums were added, the result was never the sum of its parts and always smaller than 100,000.

Then it hit her. Dan wasn't reporting all his profits to the government, so he wouldn't have to pay high taxes. When her father had once grumbled about the taxes he had to pay, she remembered her mother suggesting that he could simply not report all his profits. Her father had become enraged in seconds, telling her mom that if he were to get caught, he would go to jail. This was it! If the police got hold of this notebook – Dan would be in big trouble.

Without a second thought, Brooke grabbed her purse and the account book, and headed to the police station, not realizing how much she had just complicated things for herself…

* * *

While Brooke was inside the police station, handing over the account book and explaining the situation to one of the station's officers, her cell phone, which had been left in the car, wouldn't stop ringing. The persistent caller was none other than Lucas, who upon retrieving his belongings from his locker on his way home, realized what was missing from his basketball bag. After noticing Brooke was nowhere to be found, Lucas put two and two together and understood what was going on – Brooke was about to turn Dan in, exactly what Dan had threatened him not to do.

Lucas frantically redialed Brooke's cell phone number, only to be greeted by her cheery, perky message on her answering machine yet again.

"Damn it!", Lucas hung up in frustration. He felt completely helpless – Brooke was somewhere out there and didn't even know what danger she could be in, while he was stuck in his house after Keith took his car keys away on the means of forcing him to rest up. But Lucas didn't want to rest up. Not as long as he had no idea where Brooke was and what was going on with her.

After several more failed attempts of reaching Brooke, Lucas was really starting to get worried, and then it suddenly hit him. _"What if Brooke knows exactly what trouble she could be in because she's in trouble right now?"_, Lucas' heart began to race as he dialed Brooke's number yet again, predictably reaching her answering machine.

"Brooke – whatever you do – don't hand that notebook over to the police. I mean it – don't do it! And get over here as soon as you hear this", Lucas left Brooke his message, praying he wasn't too late…

* * *

**AN: I know that Dan is sort of becoming _psycho Dan_, but I always thought I'd be fun to make his character more extreme, even though he's pretty crazy on the show as it is... Anyway, I really hope you liked this episode, because the drama is only starting to build up... :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter and psycho Dan! This chapter is especially for all of you Brucas lovers, as it is exclusively Brucas in this chapter. I really hope you'll enjoy it! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 7**

The knock on Lucas' door startled him. He looked at his clock and frowned. It was 11 p.m., and he still hadn't heard from Brooke. By now he was certain that something was wrong and was on the verge of calling Dan up and telling him he won when he heard the tap on his door.

Lucas' eyes widened, _"It must be Dan"_, he thought to himself, convinced that upon opening the door he would find his smirking father standing behind it. Lucas grabbed a baseball bat that lay on his floor, intending to whack his unwelcomed guest and let out all his aggressions on him.

Lucas opened the door with one swift movement, the bat held in his hand above his head. He was about to hit the person who stood in front of him, but stopped himself at the very last moment, upon seeing who it was.

"Brooke! Thank god!", Lucas dropped his bat to the floor at the sight of his trembling, shaken-up girlfriend who stood in front of him, still wearing only her cheerleading outfit, just as she had during the game.

"Please don't be mad at me", Brooke panted, suppressing a sob. Even though Lucas could barely see her face, as she still stood outside, in the darkness, it was very clear that Brooke was scared. And she really was. Only after she came back to her car did she hear Lucas' messages. His urgent tone sounded angry to her, and when she understood that her actions were exactly what Lucas didn't want her to do, Brooke burst into tears, letting out what she held back in front of Dan. Brooke had been crying all the way over to Lucas' house and only managed to calm down when she stepped out of her car, but upon seeing Lucas so angry he almost hit her with a bat, the tears started welling up again.

"Come here…", Lucas gently pulled Brooke into his arms and to the safety of his room, closing the door behind them. Brooke clenched his shirt with her little hands as her heart raced. Lucas could feel Brooke's desperate need for comfort, so he tightened his grip on her body and began rubbing her back and shoulders and stroking her hair. The sight of her emotional entrance to his house and the feeling of her freezing-cold flesh he was now warming up filled Lucas' mind with numerous horrible scenarios as to what had happened to Brooke that night, but at that moment, all he cared about was calming her down and making sure she's alright.

Lucas' gentle fingers brushed against Brooke's abused neck, causing her to whimper in pain. Brooke bit her lip, trying to hide her pain from Lucas, but it was too late. Lucas pulled Brooke from him and looked at her face with concern. Brooke tried to smile at him, but the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks gave her away. The physical pain Brooke now sensed due to Dan's abusive behavior was truly sinking in for Brooke for the first time that night, and she couldn't help but let out another sob.

Lucas' blood began to boil when he saw the large red marks, bruises and swellings that covered Brooke's porcelain neck. At that moment, he wanted to kill the person who dared to touch his pretty girl and cause her pain.

"Who did this to you, Brooke?", Lucas demanded to know. He was getting angrier by the moment at the thought of someone getting rough on her.

Brooke began sobbing uncontrollably. She could see how mad Lucas was, and was certain that he was mad at her, and that he will only grow angrier once he would learn about the account book.

"Please don't be mad at me…", Brooke repeated, still sobbing.

"Brooke…", Lucas said softly and tried to hug her again, but Brooke pulled away, crying as hard as ever and shaking her head. She couldn't even look at him, scared of how he would react to what she had done. Avoiding eye contact, Brooke walked to the farther side of Lucas' bed, lying down on her unbruised side, curled up with her back to Lucas and still weeping.

Lucas was truly starting to get worried about her, but he didn't really know what to do. Usually, Brooke would at least tell him what was going on with her, but now he didn't even know what he was dealing with. From the looks of her, someone had obviously attacked Brooke, but Lucas had no idea how bad it was. Because Brooke barely let Lucas touch her, Lucas feared that someone tried to sexually assault her, and Brooke's repeated pleas made him wonder whether she thought that he was angry at her for being with someone else, if that was the case.

Lucas sighed upon looking at his sobbing girlfriend. Seeing her sad always broke his heart. He crept into his bed, lying down behind Brooke and gently rubbed her back, relieved that this time she didn't pull away from him.

"Brooke, baby, please just tell me what happened. I promise I won't be mad", Lucas said in a soothing voice, his hands still softly stroking her back.

"I'm sorry… I didn't hear your message on time… and Dan kept on rambling about this account book… and then Whitey said he should be in jail… and then I found it in your locker… and only when I was back from the police station, I heard your message, because I forgot my phone in my car… Please don't hate me…", Brooke was sobbing so hard, her whole body was shaking. Her upset explanation didn't make all the sense in the world, but it gave Lucas an idea as to what happened to her. He sighed in relief upon understanding that Brooke wasn't raped or molested, but simply drew away from him because she thought her actions would infuriate him.

"Come here, baby", Lucas pulled Brooke to him, making her face him. When he saw she still avoided eye contact with him, Lucas just enveloped Brooke in a big hug, his strong arms closing around her protectively. He kissed her forehead and let her head rest against his shoulder, "Babe, I could never hate you", Lucas reassured Brooke. He heard her try to suppress another sob, and squeezed her shoulders comfortingly. "Shh… It's O.K…. Everything's O.K. now…".

"But you sounded so angry in that message", Brooke refused to calm down, her body still trembling as the tears ran all the way through it.

"Brooke, I wasn't angry, I was scared Dan had done something to you", Lucas explained his uncalm tone, "the only reason I didn't want you to turn Dan in is so you won't be in the middle of this". Brooke sniffled and Lucas felt her body become less tense. He was just sighing in relief, glad that he managed to calm Brooke down, when he heard her whimper once more. He looked down at her and realized he had accidentally touched her neck again.

Lucas sat Brooke up and rose to a sitting position next to her. Putting one hand on Brooke's shoulder and using the second to tilt Brooke's face up, Lucas stared into her swollen, wet hazel eyes, deeply concerned.

"Brooke, did Dan do this to you?", Lucas questioned. Brooke simply nodded, her eyes slipping away from his.

"I'm gonna kill him… I can't believe I got you in the middle of this", Lucas quietly said, traces of the anger he suppressed inside him in order to remain from upsetting Brooke again evident in his voice. He just sat there in silence, taking in Brooke's injured form, and kicked himself mentally for allowing Dan to lay his hands on her. He looked away when it all got too much for him, and then felt Brooke's little hand slip into his strong, masculine one and give it a soft squeeze. Lucas brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

"I love you, Brooke", he told her. With all the confusing emotions that were going through his head, that was the only thing that made complete sense to him.

"I love you too, Luke", Brooke finally lifted her sad eyes to meet his breathtaking blue ones and sank into them. She leaned towards him and brought her lips to his. Brooke softly kissed Lucas, capturing his lower lip between her lips, and felt Lucas immediately responding as his lips closed around her upper lip. It was a long, yet tender, kiss, which filled up their mutual need to feel close to one another in order for everything to be O.K.. Brooke, who managed to get lost in that moment, was brought back to reality when she felt pain shooting from her injured side as Lucas grabbed on to her, intending to deepen the kiss. Brooke winced in pain and pulled away from him, tears welling up in her eyes, as Lucas eyed her worriedly.

"Did I hurt you?", Lucas' concerned and sincere eyes looked deeply into Brooke's hazel eyes and searched for an answer.

"I'm fine", Brooke answered, biting her lip in an attempt to stop her tears.

"Where does it hurt?", Lucas ignored her vocal answer and asked her seriously. Brooke's gaze alternated between Lucas' caring eyes to the floor as she contemplated whether to show Lucas the additional bruises that Dan surely made to the side of her body when he threw her at the wall. She finally gave Lucas a short glance and lifted up her cheerleading shirt slightly, allowing him to look at her hip and ribcage.

"Damn it…", Lucas gasped and looked away as Brooke quickly covered herself back up. Lucas couldn't believe how banged up Brooke's body was. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure, and looked at Brooke again. She was sitting there, staring down and looking like a lost child. The sight of her almost brought tears to his eyes, as it was so unlike her, but Lucas controlled himself, as at that moment his strongest urge was to take care of her. Brooke suddenly seemed so small and vulnerable, and Lucas felt like he needed to guide her back to safety.

"Come on, baby, let's get you washed up", Lucas suggested as he looked at Brooke's wounds, hoping that the warm water would have a soothing effect on her. Brooke simply nodded and let Lucas lead her to the bathroom. She had gotten so tired suddenly and didn't have it in her to argue.

Lucas closed the bathroom door behind the two of them. Even though there was nobody else in the house but them, he thought that this way Brooke might forget about the outside world and all the worries that it carried. He bent down and helped Brooke out of her shoes and socks and then rose to his feet and gently took her shirt off, careful not to touch her bruises, which blinded his eyes once her shirt was off. Lucas took a step back from Brooke, taking off his own clothes and remaining only in his boxers while getting a grip over himself and suppressing the violence that was building up inside of him upon seeing his girlfriend's banged up body. He turned back to Brooke and unzipped her cheerleading skirt's zipper and took it off, holding on to her unharmed hip and revealing more bruises as he did so. Brooke suddenly grew self-conscious, as the two of them stood there, wearing only their under-garments. Even though Lucas had been nothing but kind and caring towards her, the intimate situation they were in made her think he might want more than what she could give him at that moment.

"Lucas…", Brooke took a step back just as he leaned into her in order to unclasp her bra.

"What is it?", Lucas asked, and all Brooke could see in his eyes was genuine concern for her, and a caring kind of love that filled her heart up and made her feel even more guilty for being unable to thank him the way she knew best.

"I can't… I'm sorry. I want to, but I just can't give you…"

"Hey, hey, I don't want anything like that", Lucas cupped Brooke's pale cheek, making her ashamed eyes see the truth that spoke from his eyes, "I just want to get you warmed up, O.K.?", Lucas promised and Brooke, who could tell he meant what he said, whispered a soft "O.K.", feeling a tiny bit better.

Lucas caressed Brooke's cheek and gave her a small, reassuring smile. He then turned to the shower to turn the water handles and tested the water with his hand until he was satisfied with its warmth. Lucas left the water running and as the room filled up with steam, walked back to Brooke, who remained exactly where he left her. Seeing that she still needed his guidance, he closed the gap between the two of them, holding her with one arm and using the other one to help her out of her bra. He removed the straps of her bra from her shoulders, kissing each trembling shoulder as he did so, and then unclasped the hook of the bra, as Brooke instinctively arched her back towards him, making his action easier for him. Once her bra was off, Brooke leaned into Lucas even more, and he, in response, closed his muscular arms around her body and gave her the safety he understood that she sought.

"Take your time, pretty girl. I'll be in there, waiting for you", Lucas finally drew apart from Brooke and stepped into the shower after taking his boxers off. Lucas wanted to pull Brooke inside with him, but he knew better than to rush her.

Brooke sensed the steam swirl around her as she stayed in her place. She closed her eyes and smelled Lucas' refreshing shampoo in the air. She remained in her place for another minute and felt the damp air stick to her freezing skin, causing her to shiver. Her cold body was begging her to join Lucas and let the warm water run over it, and Brooke finally gave in, took her panties off and stepped into the shower, where Lucas had just finished washing up. Slowly, one body part at a time, Brooke attached herself to Lucas, until her whole body was under the stream and her bare body and Lucas' bare body were like one. Brooke leaned her head on Lucas' chest and he began stroking her body, the hot water following the lines that he drew on her arms, shoulders, back and hair, and caressing her as well. Brooke closed her eyes and felt the water cover her skin and Lucas' skin and stream between them, reaching every part of her body. She bit her lip as the water touched her injuries, but kept quiet so she wouldn't worry Lucas. As Lucas massaged her hair with shampoo and the soapsuds slip over her scrapes, causing a burning and stinging feeling to come upon her, Brooke winced, but kept her body pressed to Lucas' so he wouldn't see. But when Lucas washed the soap out of her body and his fingers accidentally grazed her neck, the pain defeated Brooke and she let out a muffled cry.

Lucas drew apart from Brooke and upon seeing the pain in her eyes, felt his heart race. The way her fair, delicate skin had been harmed and covered in colorful bruises just made his blood boil. Lucas was about to step out of the shower, looking infuriated and determined, when Brooke stopped him.

"Where are you going?", Brooke's hazel eyes were filled with confusion.

"To the police station. I'm gonna kill Dan for doing this to you", Lucas responded and was about to leave the room, but Brooke ran after him and grabbed his hand, forcing him to stay.

"Lucas… He's not there", Brooke informed Lucas quietly and eyed him nervously, not knowing how he would react.

"What do you mean?!", Lucas, who had his mind set on teaching his father a lesson for hurting Brooke, was upset.

"The cops brought him in, but then he ran away and they couldn't find him", Brooke said, taking a step back from Lucas.

"So he's still somewhere out there?", Lucas was beginning to digest the gravity of the situation. Brooke nodded and suddenly alarming bells rang inside Lucas' head, "Brooke, did Dan see you when the cops brought him in?", Lucas questioned, slightly panicked, and became completely panicked when Brooke nodded and mumbled "yes".

"Crap!", Lucas yelled out and grabbed his head with frustration and anger. Somehow, Dan managed to be with the upper hand no matter what, and to make things worse, now he would surely be after Brooke, but on a personal basis, as he knew she turned him in. The room was silent, except for the sound of water that kept on running as Lucas stared into space, trying to figure out what to do, and Brooke stared at Lucas, trying to figure out what she could say to fix things, or at least make Lucas feel better. She quietly stepped up to him again and took his hand.

"They're gonna find him, Luke, and everything's gonna be O.K.", Brooke promised in her raspy, soothing voice, her chin grazing Lucas' shoulder as she looked up at him.

"Yeah… I know…", Lucas mumbled absent-mindedly, obviously thinking of something else, and then focused back on Brooke, "but until he's locked up, I'm not letting you out of my sight", Lucas informed Brooke sternly. Brooke smiled at Lucas, touched by his desire to protect her, and caused Lucas to soften up and smile back. He rubbed Brooke's shoulders and arms affectionately, only then realizing how cold she had become once again, since she raced out of the shower after him completely naked and dripping wet.

"Babe, you get back in the shower and I'll get you something warm to wear, O.K.?", Lucas suggested and Brooke obeyed and disappeared into the shower after flashing him a dimpled smile.

"_This is the way it should be"_, Lucas thought to himself after smiling back at Brooke. He promised himself he would guard her with his life and do anything in his power to keep that sweet smile on his girlfriend's beautiful face.

* * *

**AN: I hope you've enjoyed the little break from all the drama, and I promise you all that the drama will be back next time! I'll be happy to hear what you thought about this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all of you guys who sent me such great feedback for my last chapter! I'm glad you all liked it! This chapter will also have many Brucas moments, but some more characters will appear here, so I hope you'll like it as well! I'll be really happy to hear what you guys think! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 8**

Lucas looked at the wall clock and upon seeing what time it was, rose to his feet from the living room couch. It was 10:30 AM on a school day, but he stayed at home with Brooke, as she obviously needed the rest and he wasn't intending to leave her alone. Lucas walked over to his bedroom, where Brooke was still fast asleep in his bed. He meant to wake her up but froze when he saw how peaceful she was. Lucas pulled a chair over and just sat down and quietly watched Brooke as she slept, allowing her a few more minutes of peace. After the sleepless night they had, Lucas was glad to see that Brooke was finally able to rest. The entire night, Brooke rolled over uncomfortably, each position she had tired to lie in causing her pain. Even when she found a relatively comfortable position, lying on her unharmed side with her head resting on Lucas' shoulder so her neck wasn't touching the pillow, Brooke couldn't fall asleep as she had difficulties breathing and felt a piercing pain from her ribcage. At a certain point, Lucas demanded that they'll go to the hospital, but upon seeing her pleading, exhausted eyes, compromised on taking her to the doctor's office the next morning. Lucas gave Brooke two painkillers and some tea and cradled her in his arms, and at 5 AM sighed in relief as his sleep-deprived baby finally managed to fall asleep. Lucas lay down beside Brooke, careful not to harm her, and slept for two hours, only to be awakened by his alarm clock at 7 AM. Lucas quickly muffled the alarm, relieved that it didn't wake Brooke up, and got out of bed. He called the doctor's office and took the first available appointment of the day, at 11 AM.

Lucas looked at the clock again, which read 10:35. He had to wake Brooke up if they wanted to arrive at the doctor's office on time. He gently shook her shoulders and softly spoke, "Brooke, you have to wake up, babe". Brooke kept on sleeping. Lucas looked at her beautiful face and leaned towards her, running a hand through her hair, "come on, baby, it's time to get up", he tried again, and this time Brooke's eyelids fluttered and half-opened. Upon seeing her handsome boyfriend looking at her with such love and affection through his gorgeous blue eyes, Brooke smiled, her dimples appearing on her cheeks. Lucas smiled back, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and simply looking at her flawless face.

"Hey there, pretty girl", Lucas said softly, caressing Brooke's cheek.

"Hey boyfriend", Brooke's cheerfulness began to shine through the twinkle in her still-groggy eyes and her breathy voice.

"How are you feeling this morning?", Lucas questioned as Brooke leaned into his touch, enjoying the feeling of his fingers against her skin.

"O.K.", Brooke simply replied. Lucas continued caressing her cheek for a few more seconds, and then rose to his feet.

"Come on, we have to go so you'll make it to the doctor's office on time", Lucas lifted Brooke to her feet.

"Maybe I could just stay home and… Aw!… Aw!", Brooke tried to walk towards the bathroom, but suddenly felt how cramped the muscles all over her body were, and how much her ribcage was hurting.

"What's going on?!", Lucas asked Brooke in panic as he supported her bent-over body. He carefully lifted her up and sat her down on his bed. Brooke exhaled, relieved to be off her aching legs, but still felt how strained the muscles of her arms, back, stomach and neck were. Sure, she was in good shape being a cheerleader, but she was used to supporting her own body weight, and not trying to push off twice her weight.

"Brooke?", Lucas looked at her worriedly as she winced in pain.

"I'm fine…", Brooke replied in a shaky voice as Lucas looked at her, not at all convinced.

"Come on, I'll help you get dressed. We're going to the doctor right now…".

* * *

Lucas carried a sleeping Brooke into his house. They were back from the doctor's office, who had told Brooke she had to stay at home and rest for at least a week, as one of her ribs was badly bruised, and her esophagus was harmed as well. The doctor told Lucas that it would be advisable to supervise Brooke, and mandatory to make sure she wouldn't strain herself, so that her body could heal. The doctor said that in Brooke's case, only time and rest could improve her condition, but gave Brooke strong painkillers, to prevent her from suffering. He warned Lucas that the painkillers would make Brooke extremely tired, and was soon proved to be right, as Brooke took one in his office and once she and Lucas got back to her car, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Lucas carefully lay Brooke down on his bed. He took her shoes off her feet and covered her up with his blanket. He gave her a short look, and then decided to join her, as he felt his own exhaustion getting to him after his sleepless night. Lucas lay down behind Brooke, his chest lightly touching her back, and closed his eyes, finally acknowledging how tired he was. He felt Brooke inch closer to him in her sleep and, smiling to himself, wrapped an arm around her. Brooke made a little sound while adjusting herself to Lucas' embrace, and then became still, other than her soft breaths, which harmoniously completed Lucas' breaths. The two of them lay there, swept away to a land of white clouds and warm sunbeams, free of worries for the first time since Brooke's attack.

They remained wrapped in each other for several hours, sleeping so soundly that neither one heard the door being unlocked and then opened, and not even the footsteps that grew louder as the person who entered the house made his way from the front door to Lucas' bedroom. Only when he cleared his throat and quite audibly exclaimed Lucas' name did Lucas stir and open his eyes to face an infuriated-looking Keith on his doorstep.

"Lucas Eugene Scott, what the hell is this?!", Keith asked, enraged by the sight of his teenage nephew and his girlfriend sharing the same bed.

"Keith, this is not what it looks like…", Lucas said in a muffled voice. He quickly yet carefully untangled himself from Brooke's body and walked towards Keith, "look, I can explain, but not in here…". Lucas reached Keith who wouldn't move, and still looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "let's not wake her up, O.K.?", Lucas pleaded and finally convinced Keith to relocate himself to the living room couch, allowing Lucas to close his bedroom door and spare Brooke Keith's lecture.

"I can't believe you, Lucas!", Keith scolded him, "I trusted you not to do anything stupid with your mother gone. I gave her my word I'd look after you, but I didn't think I'd have to play cop with you. I treat you like a grown-up and this is what I get?!"

"We were not having sex, O.K.?", Lucas had to raise his voice to match Keith's tones, "We were just sleeping".

"Doesn't Brooke have a bed of her own to sleep in?", Keith asked Lucas sarcastically.

"Her parents are away and I can't leave her alone right now", Lucas tried to reason with Keith.

"Oh really? And why exactly is that?", Keith wasn't going to make things easy for Lucas.

"Because… Because I did something that…", Lucas almost come forward, but was cut off by the sound of his bedroom door opening. Both his and Keith's attentions were averted to Brooke, who appeared from the now open door.

"Hey uncle Keith", she sleepily greeted him and limped over to the couch, obviously sore as the influence of the painkiller was wearing off.

"Brooke, you should be resting!", Lucas rushed to her side and gently supported her unstable frame.

"I'm fine…", she replied, but took Lucas' hand to steady herself, "so what are you guys fighting about?", Brooke asked in her usual straightforward manner, accompanying her question with a sweet smile.

"Well…", Keith smiled back, both as a reaction to Brooke's adorable ways and also glad that someone was addressing the matter right on, "Lucas was explaining to me why I found you in his bed", Keith filled her in and continued smiling as Lucas blushed and became too ashamed to speak.

"Oh…", discussing the matter with Keith was awkward for Brooke as well, yet upon seeing how red Lucas had become, Brooke realized that she would have to do the talking, "Lucas is only doing this to protect me, Keith", Brooke explained honestly.

"From what?", Keith's sarcastic tone now faded and was replaced with a sincere one, as he saw the truth in Brooke's eyes. Brooke continued to look into Keith's eyes and finally brought her hands to her neck.

"This", Brooke pulled her shirt and revealed her bruised neck to a stunned Keith.

"God… Who did this to you?", Keith was really taken aback by the evidence of the violence that Brooke undoubtedly was forced to endure.

"It's really not my place to say", Brooke understood that if Keith knew of Dan's role in the whole story, Lucas would have a lot of explaining to do.

"Brooke…", Keith started to say but was cut off by Brooke.

"Listen, Keith, I…", Brooke began, but was suddenly overcome by an acute wave of pain that cut through her body like a sharp knife. Lucas and Keith realized what was going on just in time, as Lucas grabbed Brooke's doubled-over body, and Keith brought over a chair that Lucas could seat her in.

"You O.K., babe?", Lucas bent over and looked at Brooke's pain-stricken face while soothingly rubbing circled around her knee. Brooke couldn't answer. She just sat there, wincing, as tears of pain appeared in her eyes.

"Lucas, maybe we should take her to the hospital…", Keith suggested worriedly after several moments of silence.

"No! Please… I'll be fine, just don't…", Brooke called out in alarm, but was cut off by Lucas.

"Hey, calm down, baby…", Lucas firmly held on to Brooke's tense body, forcing her panicked eyes to meet his protective gaze, "You're not going anywhere, O.K.? Just relax and I'll get you another painkiller", Lucas reassured her. He knew how much Brooke hated hospitals and understood that he had to free Brooke of any tension so she could let her body rest and heal.

"It's not time yet", Brooke mumbled, knowing that she could only take another dose at night.

"Why don't I order some takeout?", Keith offered, reminding the couple of his presence, "You two must be starving".

"Good idea", Lucas answered for the both of them as Brooke closed her eyes, trying to ride out another wave of pain from her ribcage. Food was basically the last thing on her mind, but Brooke convinced herself that eating wouldn't be a bad way to spend the time until she could take another pill. And she was right. Between watching TV and tasting a bit of what Keith ordered, Brooke had almost forgotten about her pain and quickly reached the hour in which she could take another painkiller. Shortly after, she dosed off, snuggled comfortably in Lucas' arms, still clenching Lucas' shirt while he still rubbed circles on her back with his thumb as they had both been doing before Brooke fell asleep.

Keith looked at the couple and smiled to himself. From the secure, yet gentle way that Lucas held Brooke's body, it was clear that she was his baby. Keith could tell that Lucas was completely connected with Brooke and knew her so well that he understood just what she needed, body and soul, when, needless to say a word, Brooke looked at Lucas and he simply cradled her in his strong arms, just as she seemed to have needed. The love that Brooke and Lucas shared was way more mature than the physical kind of love teenagers normally share, but a much deeper one, the kind that lasts a lifetime.

Lucas caught Keith staring at him with a smile and smiled back. He knew he was off the hook thanks to Brooke's clever answers and unfortunate pain-stricken state.

"Here", Keith took out Lucas' car keys from his pocket and put them on the living room table, "I actually just came back to return these and check up on you", Keith revealed the true intensions of his visit.

"Thanks", Lucas answered, appreciating Keith's concern.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you", Keith apologized and then let his eyes wander over to Brooke, who was peacefully sleeping in Lucas' arms, "you take good care of her", he said to Lucas and tapped Lucas' knee, rising to his feet on the intention of leaving.

"I will", Lucas ascertained him, rising to his own feet with Brooke in his arms. He started heading towards his room so he could lay Brooke down when Keith spoke again.

"Luke", Keith called, causing Lucas to turn around, "look, you don't have to tell me what this is about, but if you need my help, either one of you, I'm here, O.K.?"

"I know", Lucas honestly replied. The care in Keith's eyes almost caused him to spill the beans, but he caught himself just in time. He couldn't tell Keith because Keith would then tell his mother, and not only will she be angry at him, which he could handle, but she would also be involved in the mess that he had created, which was something Lucas wouldn't allow.

"_The less people know about Dan the better"_, Lucas decided and forced a smile, "Everything will be fine", he told both Keith and himself, unaware of what lay ahead for him and Brooke…

* * *

Three days had passed and Dan still didn't get caught. However, Brooke seemed to be doing much better. Under the doctor's orders, she still had to stay at home and to remain from straining herself, but she was once again the energetic, cheery and lively girl she had always been, and not the fragile, broken porcelain doll she seemed to have become after Dan's attack. Both Lucas' desperate pleas that she'd take it easy and sudden waves of pain that still hit her kept Brooke on low gear, but even the doctor, to whom she had returned for a check-up that morning, admitted that under the circumstances, she was doing great.

It was afternoon, a half an hour before one of Lucas' favorite shows was on. Lucas was resting on the couch, exhausted after the sleepless night he and Brooke, once again, shared, after she refused to take a painkiller and was having trouble falling asleep. It was nothing compared to the first night, but the pain still crept up on Brooke a few times, causing her to stir in agony, and keeping Lucas awake and concerned. Now, however, after the doctor ascertained him that Brooke would be just fine, Lucas allowed his tired state to take over him for a while.

Brooke looked at her boyfriend, who finally seemed worriless, and smiled lovingly. The way he had been attentively taking care of her those last few days really touched her heart and made her fall in love with him even more deeply. Brooke wanted to give Lucas something back, to thank him for everything he had done for her. She decided she would make him some hot chocolate, his favorite, then watch his favorite show together with him, and afterwards, if he let her, show him just how much she loves him. Brooke rose to her feet, ignoring the slight tingling pain that came from her ribcage, and made her way to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and frowned upon finding no milk in it. Brooke bit her lower lip. She knew Lucas would kill her if she just left the house on her own with Dan still somewhere out there, but had her mind set on surprising him. She quickly grabbed her car keys and purse and jotted down a quick note for Lucas, in case he would wake up while she was going to be gone, barely resisting the urge to kiss his slightly parted lips as she passed by him. Brooke gave him one last look and left the house, quietly closing the door after her, leaving a sleeping, carefree Lucas on the couch.

"Luke! Open up man!", Nathan, who had been knocking on Lucas' door for an entire minute, finally called out, waking Lucas up. Just as Nathan was about to give up and leave, Lucas opened the door for him.

"Hey man, what's up?", Lucas, still half asleep, greeted his half brother.

"That's exactly what I was gonna ask you. I didn't think a bloody nose required you to miss three school days and hire a private nurse…"

"What are you talking about, Nate?", Lucas rubbed his eyes, trying to shake himself out of the sleepy state he was in.

"Brooke… You both skipped school since the game and I assumed she was with you…"

"She is, but not because of that stupid injury", Lucas replied and upon seeing the puzzled expression on Nathan's face, explained, "look, it's the other way around".

"What do you mean?", now Nathan was even more confused.

"Come on, I'll explain everything", Lucas sighed as he realized he couldn't hide things from Nathan, as Dan's disappearance was definitely affecting him as well. The two brothers walked into the living room, and as Nathan sat down, looked at Lucas suspiciously, Lucas suddenly spotted Brooke's note on the living room table. His heart began beating as hard as a drum just by looking at it.

"Well, I'm waiting…", Nathan tried to rush Lucas into talking.

"Hold on a minute…", Lucas answered tensely as he picked the note up and read it. Upon understanding that Brooke wasn't in the house, he kicked the couch in frustration, "Damn it!", he cursed. Lucas had thought that Brooke was sleeping in his bed, and couldn't help but worry about her now that he knew she actually wasn't there.

"What's wrong?", Nathan frowned. The whole situation seemed really weird to him, and upon witnessing Lucas' outburst, he was even more convinced that something big was going on.

"It's Brooke… She went to the store on her own to 'buy me a surprise'", Lucas answered, quoting from Brooke's note.

"So?", Nathan didn't get why that upset Lucas so much.

"So?!", Lucas was getting all worked up and then remembered that Nathan didn't know what was going on and softened up his voice, "Look, Nate, Dan didn't only kiss Brooke, he also strangled her the night of the game".

"What?!", Nathan exclaimed in shock. He knew his father was capable of many things, but attacking a teenage girl wasn't one of the things he had in mind. Nathan eyed Lucas with suspicion again, "Luke, what's going on?".

"Um…", Lucas hesitated, but then chose to reveal the truth, knowing that Nathan had the right to know, "Brooke and I sort of turned in evidence of financial fraud he had been committing, and well…"

"So that's why the police is after him…", the pieces finally added up for Nathan, who had been pretty confused those past few days. Lucas nodded and then eyed him quietly, waiting to see how he would take the news he had just heard. Nathan was silent for several moments, and then finally spoke, "Until he gets caught, I'll help you keep an eye on Brooke. You can't keep missing school, and we can't leave her alone".

"Nate, you don't have to do that… I created this mess…"

"No you didn't – dad did", Nathan cut Lucas in mid-sentence. Lucas looked at Nathan and upon seeing the sincere look in his eyes, smiled at him with gratitude, knowing the he was completely on his side.

"Thanks Nate", Lucas expressed his appreciation for Nathan, for taking his side without hesitation.

"No problem… Now let's go find that girlfriend of yours", Nathan suggested.

"O.K…", Lucas replied when his cell phone rang. He rushed to the phone, and upon seeing Brooke's name on the caller ID, sighed in relief, "It's Brooke…", he told Nathan upon picking up.

"Do you have any idea how worried you got me?", Lucas said to her right away, scolding her a little.

"Lucas…", Brooke's voice was extremely shaky and cracked out in the end. When Lucas heard the sharp breaths she was taking, he understood that she was crying.

"Hey… What's wrong, pretty girl? I was only surprised that you went out on your own, that's all", Lucas, who thought that his slightly raised voice might have set Brooke off, softened his tone on the intention of calming her down.

"No… It's not that…", the raspiness of Brooke's voice took over, and between that, the quick speed in which she began talking and her sobs and sharp breath intakes, it was impossible to comprehend what she said next.

"Brooke – slow down! What happened?!"

* * *

**AN: Don't you just love cliffhanger endings? ;-) This is all for this time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! I know some of you thought I'm mean because of the cliffhanger ending, so I worked really hard to update really quick! Thanks for everyone who has reviewed last chapter - you guys are great! Hope you enjoy this, and please feel free to tell me what you thought about it!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

"_Lucas…", Brooke's voice was extremely shaky and cracked out in the end. When Lucas heard the sharp breaths she was taking, he understood that she was crying._

"_Hey… What's wrong, pretty girl? I was only surprised that you went out on your own, that's all", Lucas, who thought that his slightly raised voice might have set Brooke off, softened his tone on the intention of calming her down._

"_No… It's not that…", the raspiness of Brooke's voice took over, and between that, the quick speed in which she began talking and her sobs and sharp breath intakes, it was impossible to comprehend what she said next._

"_Brooke – slow down! What happened?!"_

**Chapter 9**

"Brooke! Talk to me, baby. What's wrong?", Lucas' formerly alarmed tone became quite panicked when Brooke just sobbed instead of answering his previous question.

"I had an accident…", Brooke finally managed to give Lucas a coherent answer before she burst out crying once more.

"Oh my god… Did you get hurt?", Unfortunately, Lucas wasn't relieved by Brooke's reply.

"I'm fine, but my car's a wreck…", she whimpered, "This van just pushed me off the road. It was as if he did it on purpose…", Brooke said in between sobs, "It hit me so hard, Luke…", Brooke completely broke down again, obviously very shaken up.

"Hey… Calm down, baby. I'm coming to pick you up. Where are you?", Lucas asked.

"On the freeway, an exit away from the supermarket", Brooke sniffled, trying to get a grip over herself.

"What's going on?", Nathan, who had kept quiet so far and tried to figure out what was happening just by listening, finally spoke out.

"Some van hit Brooke's car and took off…", Lucas covered the phone up so that Brooke wouldn't hear him, but she did.

"He didn't take off, Luke, he's pulled over farther ahead. He just never came out of the car", Brooke filled him in.

"O.K., Brooke – I want you to tell me his license plate number. You're gonna need that for your insurance", Brooke did as she was told, still shaky but able to follow Lucas' clear instructions.

"Alright, baby, I'm on my way to you. Until I come, whatever you do, stay away from the other driver. He could be drunk", Lucas warned her. He picked up his wallet and car keys and rose to his feet. Lucas was about to finish the conversation when he suddenly heard Brooke scream.

"Brooke! What happened?!", Lucas asked in panic.

"Luke… Luke, the other driver, it's Dan, and he has a gun…", Brooke told Lucas in a terrified voice as Dan approached her, causing Lucas' heart to drop in fear.

"Brooke – stay with me. I'm coming over there, and until I'm there, don't hang up on me", Lucas tried to keep himself together for Brooke, even though he felt extremely scared and helpless. Holding on to the phone, Lucas walked out of the house with Nathan following him. Once they were in the car, Lucas began racing to where Brooke was. He put the phone on the speaker, and the car was suddenly filled with Brooke's sobs and whimpers.

"Baby, hang in there, alright? I'm coming", Lucas was working very hard on putting up a soothing tone, as he felt anything but calm upon knowing what danger Brooke was in.

"Hang up the phone", Lucas and Nathan's hearts froze as they heard their father's icy tone commanding Brooke.

"Mr. Scott – please…", Brooke's shaky plea was soon cut off by Dan's voice.

"I said – _**Put the phone down!!**_", Dan hollered at Brooke, who was whimpering in fear, hardly managing to suppress her sobs. She lowered her hand, seeing that Dan was now standing merely a few feet away from her and aiming the gun straight to her forehead, but she didn't hang up. Fortunately, that went unnoticed by Dan.

"Good, and now, Miss Davis, you're going to join me in my car. We are going for a little ride", Dan regained his cold intimidating tone, causing Brooke, Lucas and Nathan to shiver in fear. As Brooke froze in her place, too terrified to move, Dan yanked her by the arm and then kept on pushing and shoving her towards his van.

"Leave me alone… Please…", Brooke was crying uncontrollably.

"_**Shut up!**_", Dan, who was fed up with her cries, shouted at her, "shut up _right now_, or I'll shoot you!", Dan's forceful demand caused Brooke's loud sobs to turn into muffled whimpers. He opened the door of the passenger's seat, and violently threw Brooke inside, causing her to double over from the pain she once again felt coming from her ribcage. Brooke couldn't help but let out a cry of pain, but Dan ignored it. He grabbed her hands, intending to tie them to her seat and just then realized that the phone she was holding was still working.

"What the hell is this?!", Dan's angry shout caused Lucas and Nathan to jump. They glanced across at each other, fearing from what would happen next. Dan grabbed the phone from Brooke's hand and threw it out of the car.

"Mr. Scott…", Nathan and Lucas heard Brooke's mortified voice and then the line went dead.

"Damn it!", Lucas shouted, finally able to let out all his frustration which he had to silence inside of himself while he was still on the line.

"We're almost there, Luke…", Nathan put a supporting hand on his brother's shoulder as they raced to the location in which Dan was currently giving Brooke a look that would have scared any girl. She sat in the passenger's seat very still, not only due to the gun and deathly glare that were aimed at her, but also because she was tied to the chair and overcome by physical pain. Brooke eyed Dan with a terrified expression, not knowing what his next action would be.

"Listen to me, Brooke. From now on, you obey to whatever I say. Are we clear?", Brooke closed her eyes as she felt Dan press the gun against her temple and nodded. "Good. You do as I say, and I don't shoot you. Do you understand?", Brooke nodded again and sighed in relief when she felt the gun pulled away from her head. Before she knew it, Dan got into the driver's seat and they were driving straight into Brooke's worst nightmare…

* * *

"Oh my god! There they are!", from afar, Nathan spotted Brooke's crushed car and the big van ahead of it that were parked on the side of the road. Lucas hit the gas pedal harder, speeding up. They became increasingly closer to Brooke's banged up car, and just when they almost reached it, the van's lights turned on, and it went speeding ahead.

"Luke – he's getting away!", Nathan exclaimed in frustration as Dan's van was vanishing from their sight.

"Like hell he is…", Lucas mumbled. Nobody would terrorize his pretty girl like that. "Hold on tight!", he advised Nathan as he picked up his car's pace, chasing after Dan.

As the van was back in full view, Nathan grabbed Lucas' phone and called the police, reporting to the officer on the line what was going on and their exact whereabouts. Having seen his father in a madly angry state before, Nathan knew that he and Lucas couldn't fight him on their own. The officer told Nathan that several police cars and a helicopter would be making their way to them, and stayed with him on the phone to keep track of Dan's location.

"Damn it!", Lucas exclaimed in fury as Dan got out of sight again just as several roads intersected. Lucas chose to continue going straight, but knew that Dan could have gone anywhere.

"Don't worry, Luke, we'll find her", Nathan told him reassuringly, even though he was extremely worried.

"If he hurts her, I'll kill him!", Lucas said, and Nathan could hear the fear in his voice. He put his hand on Lucas' shoulder and squeezed it supportively.

"I'm sure that Brooke is fine", Nathan said softly. The two brothers grew silent and the still air in the car became filled with worries and tension as they both continued driving ahead, hoping that the auburn-haired girl they both cared so much about was still somewhere ahead of them…

* * *

They had been driving for hours now, and Brooke no longer knew where she was. For the entire ride, ever since Dan threatened to shoot her unless she kept quiet, they drove in silence, the only voices Brooke made were muffled whimpers of pain she couldn't help but let out in the beginning, which now died out completely. Her ribcage was no longer aching, it was simply numb, and so was she, her body and soul worn out due to the tensed and hysteric state she was in at the beginning of the ride. The adrenaline that freely poured out then, causing her to shake violently and uncontrollably, was no scarce to non-existent in her veins, and Brooke simply felt like she ran out of it for good. She was scared and exhausted, and just wanted the nightmare she was in to end.

As Brooke looked out the window, she could feel Dan glancing at her whenever he could take his eyes off the road. She never looked back at him, not making to make eye contact, but saw the way his eyes were devouring her body. All Brooke could think about was Keith's wedding debacle two months earlier and the way Dan greeted her as she arrived with Lucas.

"_Save a slow dance for me, Miss Davis", Dan looked her up and down and then set his eyes on her cleavage. Brooke uncomfortably crossed her arms around herself, feeling as though he was undressing her with his gaze._

Back then she had Lucas to look after her and prevent Dan from fulfilling his perverted request, but right now all she could do was try to fend for herself and hope that Lucas would be able to find the two of them on time, before Dan could try anything.

"You're being quite a good girl, Brooke, I'm impressed", Dan's mocking voice broke the long silence. Brooke instinctively looked over at him, only to meet the same cocky gaze he had been eyeing her with during the wedding, and felt completely naked all over again. She swallowed hard, not wanting to know what he had been planning for her. Brooke was about to turn away from Dan, and then realized that what she really needed was to face him and get some answers.

"Where are you taking me, Mr. Scott?", Brooke asked coldly and bluntly, eyeing him daringly. Dan chuckled, amused by the sudden courage she was filled with.

"Wouldn't you just love to know?", Dan replied teasingly, tapping her on the tip of her nose. Brooke couldn't help but shiver for a moment, and then regained her composure.

"Why are you doing this?", Brooke questioned. Something about her genuine tone made Dan look into her eyes and see the real pain that hid behind her question.

"You left me no choice, _pumpkin_", he glared at her, but then answered truthfully, "and unfortunately for you, thanks to that little stunt you pulled on me, I officially have nothing to loose".

"What are you talking about?!", Brooke had no idea where the courage to answer him like that came from, but it was there, and she kept on going, "You are such a respected man in Tree Hill, Mr. Scott. You made quite a name for yourself in our town. People look up at you for the successful way you've been leading your life and you inspire many of them. Heck, I bet that if you ran for mayor of Tree Hill, you'd win the elections", Brooke finished praising Dan, hoping that he would now reconsider his plan regarding her.

"Well, well, well… You're quite a smart girl, Brooke. I guess I've really underestimated you", Dan smirked at her, chuckling about her attempt to cause him to call his plan off.

"Most people do…", Brooke mumbled, more to herself than to him, but Dan heard what she said.

"Really?", Dan replied, "then we are going to have a lot of fun together", Dan laughed and put his rough hand on Brooke's lap. He slowly patted up Brooke's thigh, causing her to squirm helplessly. She knew this was probably just one of Dan's mind games with which he attempted to break her down, but even if it was- it was definitely working.

"Stop… Mr. Scott, stop!", Brooke called out in panic.

"Call me Dan", Dan's hand rested on Brooke's upper outer thigh, grabbing onto her flesh.

Brooke shuttered, unable to fight him, and just prayed that Lucas would come to her rescue before she would learn what Dan meant by 'fun together'…

* * *

After Dan drove down from the main road and into a side road, it occurred to Brooke that she'd better run for her life once Dan parked the car. She felt even more strongly about the matter as she realized that Dan was driving into the woods, and that any traces of mankind were long gone.

Brooke began wiggling her wrists behind the chair, trying to free them from the strong ties that they were chained in. Slowly, after a lot of effort, Brooke managed to untangle her hands from the ropes they were tied in. She opened and closed her fists, trying to help her blood circulate to her aching hands, but kept them behind the chair, so Dan wouldn't notice that her hands were now free.

As a stranded, sole cabin came into view, Dan slowed down and Brooke prepared herself for the big escape.

"Well… We're here", Dan told Brooke as they neared the cabin. He put his hand on the gear shift, intending to move it to park, and Brooke suddenly jumped from her seat, opened the van's door and raced outside, knowing that her life might depend on it.

"Damn it!", Dan cursed. He quickly parked the car and took the keys out. He lunged out of the car and looked out, but all he could see was trees in every direction. "That bitch isn't getting away that easily", Dan mumbled to himself. He went back to the car and grabbed his gun. Aiming it to the air, he pulled its trigger and a frighteningly loud gunshot could be heard. Dan surveyed his surroundings very alertly immediately after firing the shot, and could hear some leaves rattle to the left of the cabin. He began running in that direction, and could soon see Brooke trying to flee straight ahead of him. Dan picked up his pace and quickly caught up with Brooke. He grabbed her by the wrist and slapped her across the face, literally needing to hold her up so she wouldn't fall from how strong the blow was. Brooke shrieked, blinking in pain as she struggled to steady herself.

"Are you going to keep playing games or have I made myself clear that I will hurt you if you try anything?", Dan's killer grip on Brooke's wrist and deathly glare almost broke Brooke, but she knew that she had to fight Dan with all she had so she wouldn't end up in that creepy cabin alone with him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!", Brooke screamed and received another slap cross her face. She knew that her cheek would probably be bruised and swollen in a matter of minutes, but that didn't stop her. She kicked Dan twice and as his grip on her loosened as he acknowledged the pain he was in, Brooke managed to slip her hand away from Dan's grasp. She began running again, as fast as her shaking legs could carry her, but froze as she heard another gunshot being fired, missing her head by very little.

"If it comes to it, I will use my gun, Brooke", Dan threatened Brooke as he once again caught up with her.

"Let go of me!", Brooke's terrified and shaking body could no longer fight Dan, but she made one more vocal attempt of convincing him to back off.

Dan was set off due to the fact that Brooke simply didn't seem to give up. "You asked for it…", he mumbled angrily at the brave girl who faced him and completely lost his calm. He tucked the gun at the back of his belt, freeing both hands. Dan grabbed both of Brooke's shoulders and began kicking her mercilessly in the stomach.

"Aw!… Aw!… O.K., O.K., you win- just please stop!", Brooke begged him, unable to take the pain he was putting her through.

"Too late for that…", Dan continued kicking Brooke as though he was in a trance. He pushed Brooke by her shoulders and she fell to the ground, holding her stomach and shuttering in pain. "Get up!", Dan ordered Brooke. Wincing in pain, Brooke slowly rose back to her shaky feet, still holding her aching stomach. Once Brooke was standing again, Dan smacked her again, so hard that she once again fell to the ground. Her whole body was hurting so much, that she couldn't move. With every breath she took, Brooke could feel piercing pain coming from her ribcage and stomach.

"Get up!", Dan demanded again, standing over her and staring at her with a look that sent chills down her spine.

"I can't…", Brooke's weak and breathy voice sounded like nothing but a whisper, "please- I'll do whatever you'll tell me – just stop", Brooke pleaded with him, defeated.

"I said – GET UP!", Dan pulled Brooke to her feet as she cried out in pain. He once again hit her across the face, but this time, even harder than before. Brooke hit the ground with a loud thump and immediately lost consciousness.

Dan was slightly taken aback by the gravity of his own actions. He bent down next to Brooke and put his face next to hers. As soon as he realized that she was breathing, the slight worry that he felt was gone. He grabbed Brooke's limp, motionless body and carried her straight into the cabin.

"_When she wakes up, everything will begin"_, Dan chuckled to himself as he locked the door behind them.

* * *

**AN: O.K. guys- as I promised, psycho Dan returns! lol... I know you guys hate him, but that's what he's there for! ;-) That's it until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys! I loved reading your reviews! You guys are really great! I really hope you'll like this chapter as well, and as always- I'll love it if you told me what you thought! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 10**

It was midnight, and Lucas and Nathan finally arrived back at Tree Hill. After driving aimlessly for several hours, the police contacted the two brothers, only to tell them that they had been driving in the wrong direction ever since the road intersection in the beginning of their car-chase. The officer on the line had told Lucas and Nathan that they had tracked Dan down and chased him for quite some time, but eventually lost him as well. The officer asked the two brothers to return to the station, so they could be investigated about Dan and Brooke, and when they both protested, wanting to continue to take part in the search for Brooke, the officer guaranteed that they could join the officers on their search after answering several questions. Reluctantly, Lucas and Nathan agreed and raced back to Tree Hill as quickly as possible, wanting to remain from wasting precious time.

Lucas tersely answered the officers' questions and finished his unnecessary interrogation very quickly. He walked out to the waiting room, where Nathan had been waiting for his turn to be questioned. As soon as Nathan saw Lucas, he jumped to his feet, wanting to join the search party as soon as possible.

"I'll make it quick", Nathan tapped Lucas' shoulder supportively upon seeing the tense and frightened look on Lucas' face. Lucas nodded and sat down in Nathan's place. He watched Nathan disappear in the network of hallways of the station, and then buried his face in his hands. His head was spinning from the speedy driving he had been doing for the past several hours, from the many questions that were darted at him during the interrogation he had just been through, and from the mixture of emotions that swirled in his head. He felt guilty, scared, angry, tense and exhausted all at once. It was as though he was in a terrible nightmare that he just couldn't wake up from.

Lucas suddenly felt a hand land on his shoulder and squeeze it supportively. He jerked his head from his hands and his eyes immediately met Keith's worried stare.

"Keith…", Lucas rose to his feet and looked at his uncle with eyes full of emotion. He didn't really know whether Keith arrived to receive an explanation for what was going on, or to give him a shoulder on which he could take comfort.

"Nathan called me up and told me everything", Keith told Lucas, not moving an inch and staring at him with a stern expression.

"Listen Keith, I know what I did what stupid, so please don't lecture me right me right now. I just can't…", Lucas spoke quickly, unable to prevent his voice from cracking in the end as his worries for Brooke got the best of him.

"Luke, it's O.K.", Keith cut him off, still using his strict tone and glare. His initial reaction to the news Nathan broke to him was fury. He couldn't believe how foolish his nephew was to mess with Dan, who was known for his lack of conscience. He had intended to scold Lucas for his thoughtless behavior before making it clear to him that he would help him out of the mess he had created, but upon seeing how terrified and beaten up with guilt Lucas seemed, Keith couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Only then did Keith soften up. He sighed and tapped Lucas' shoulder twice and then rested his hand on Lucas' shoulder as a gesture of support. "Look, Lucas, the police is doing everything they can to find Brooke and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to help out", Keith offered his words of comfort.

"This is all my fault… I should have protected her from him", Lucas was overcome with tremendous guilt. The sight of Brooke sobbing in pain at his doorstep from three days before suddenly flashed before him and he shuttered and turned to Keith in panic, "How the hell is Brooke supposed to face Dan on her own, Keith?", Lucas' eyes pleaded with Keith to provide him with reassurance.

"Come here", all Keith could give Lucas was a big comforting hug. He could never lie to Lucas and therefore was at a loss of words upon facing Lucas' question, as he too was worried about Brooke's safety, knowing that Dan was capable of anything. "I won't rest until we find Brooke, O.K.? I promise you", Keith finally found the words he was looking for and tightened the hug for a moment, feeling Lucas tense up as he mentioned Brooke's name.

"Neither will I", Lucas and Keith let go of each other as they heard a third person speak out. They turned around and saw Nathan coming up to them. "Look, Luke, the police said we can't involve any more people in this, but I'm sure that the three of us can really help out here".

"Five…", Keith cleared his throat and corrected Nathan.

"Five?", Nathan raised his eyebrows, not knowing what Keith was talking about.

"I wish you would have told me I couldn't tell anyone…", Keith shook his head.

"Keith?", Lucas stared at him questioningly, waiting for him to continue.

"Your mother and Andy are on their way to the airport right now", Keith finally explained himself.

"What?! Keith, how could you do that?", Lucas asked in rage, getting all worked up.

"Look – I promised your mother I'd notify her if anything was going on, and once she heard what happened, she immediately wanted to be here for you and to help find Brooke", Keith tried to reason with a truly upset Lucas, "Listen Luke, I'm sure your mother will be supportive and not…"

"I don't care about that!", Lucas yelled out in frustration, "Don't you get it, Keith? It's bad enough that I dragged Brooke into this… I can't let Dan get my mom involved too!", Lucas sounded panicked, as though the walls of the room were closing up on him.

"I'll never let him near your mother!", Keith clenched his fists, anger suddenly radiating from him at the thought of Karen being hurt.

"That's the same thing I promised Brooke…", Lucas told him sadly and quietly, and suddenly looked so defeated. Upon looking at him, Lucas all of a sudden seemed to Keith like just a little boy in distress, the little boy he cared so much for and helped raise as though he was his own.

"Lucas…", Keith said to him softly in a paternal tone. He wanted to encourage the broken boy that stood in front of him, but Lucas cut him off in the middle.

"Keith, I can't involve my mom in this, O.K.?", Lucas said in an aggressive tone, unable to bare the thought of the mess he had created getting even more out of control. He looked at Keith helplessly and desperately asked, "What are we going to do?"

"We're gonna stay strong, Luke", Nathan set his hand on Lucas' shoulder and then truthfully said, "and pray we can find Brooke before Karen returns…".

* * *

The rays of afternoon sunlight slipped through the heavy shutters that covered the cabin's bedroom window. An entire day passed since Dan abducted Brooke, and she still remained unconscious. Dan sat on the rocking chair that was set in the bedroom and looked at the sleeping beauty that lay motionlessly on the bed. Over the past day he cleaned her bleeding cuts and dressed her bruises, but she still looked very pale and beaten up. Dan realized that he had gotten a bit too violent with Brooke, and was truly starting to worry that she may need medical care in order to wake up. Not only would that put a dent in his plan, but also if he would get caught, Dan understood that he would be punished severely for Brooke's condition. Therefore, Dan attentively checked on Brooke, hoping that she would soon come to.

Dan rose from the rocking chair and walked over to the bed. He sat down next to Brooke's still body and looked at her face. Even though she was cut and bruised, Dan couldn't help but think to himself that she was beautiful. Until now, whenever he made a comment on Brooke's looks, he was doing it mainly to set Lucas off, but now, as she lay unmoving before him, he could really take in and admit her beauty. Unconsciously, Dan moved a strand of hair from Brooke's eyes, and just as he did, her eyelids fluttered. Dan froze, looking at her intensely and Brooke finally opened her eyes slightly. She looked completely disoriented for a few moments, but then blinked a few times and focused her gaze on Dan. Their eyes were locked and Dan found himself caught in the sea of emotions that Brooke's eyes flashed at him, that made it impossible for Dan to break eye contact.

Brooke remained laying very still and just looked at Dan. Her heart began pounding really hard as she recalled the events of the previous day. She began breathing heavily, feeling terrified, extremely uncomfortable due to Dan's lack of distance from her, and not knowing what to do. With one quick movement Brooke tried to rise to her feet on the intention of running away, but immediately collapsed back with a shrill cry of pain, suddenly acknowledging how badly hurt her body was and realizing that her hands were tied to the headboard of the bed. There was no way out. She was trapped.

"Well, well, well… I'm glad feisty little Brooke is back…", the instant Brooke tried to get up, Dan regained his smirk and evil glare. As Brooke weakly winced and tossed in agony on the bed, his smirk widened, "I'm glad you're awake, sleeping beauty, because I have plans…", Dan informed Brooke who could only glance at him, too weak to argue or reply. "Now how would you like to talk to Lucas?", Dan had a fake smile plastered all over his face.

"What's the catch?", Brooke's voice was a scratchy whisper, but it carried her clever and accurate perception of Dan's twisted mind.

"Since you asked so nicely…", Dan laughed, amused by Brooke's reaction, "Lucas is going to need to feel like you were extremely hurt by me…", Dan revealed to Brooke his plan to mess with Lucas' mind and Brooke let out a bitter laugh. Dan looked at her and then corrected himself, "O.K., that you were extremely hurt by me", Dan said and then continued unraveling what was on his mind, "Lucas stole my account book and wants me trapped in a jail cell, so he's going to have a taste of his own medicine and feel what it's like when his girlfriend is trapped and he can do absolutely nothing about it".

"And what if I don't play along?", Brooke still weak in her body, but not in her soul, and was really starting to piss Dan off.

"Then I'll make things all too real for you when you talk to Lucas, O.K.?", Dan replied aggressively, setting Brooke back in her place. He glared at her and dialed Lucas' cell phone number from his phone. As he hear the dial tone he smiled evilly at Brooke and said- "Let the show begin…".

* * *

Lucas and Nathan were about to enter one police car as Keith already went into another when Lucas' phone rang. He rushed to pick it up, frowning upon seeing the words _"out of area"_ appear on his screen.

"Hello?", Lucas answered nervously, feeling his heart drop as he heard his father's roaring laughter.

"Greetings, my son", Dan's overjoyed mocking voice would have pissed Lucas off any other day, but now it sent chills down his spine. He quickly gestured to the officer next to him and whispered to him what was going on. As the officer told him to keep Dan on the line for as long as possible so they could track him down, Dan spoke again, "I'm assuming you'll want me to return what I borrowed from you yesterday…".

"What the hell did you do to Brooke?", Lucas asked in fury.

"Patience junior…", Dan spoke slowly and calmly, enjoying every moment of tantalizing Lucas, "You can ask her yourself…", Dan said as if he was an upper power that had just granted Lucas a wish. He forcefully pulled Brooke's right hand from the strong tie he tied it with, causing her to yelp in pain as it made a nasty cut in her hand, and making Lucas' stomach drop as he heard her weak and agonized voice. Dan shoved the phone into Brooke's hand and gestured to her to speak.

"Broody?", Brooke's shaky and hoarse voice hesitantly asked. Lucas' heart broke into a million pieces upon hearing her call him by his nickname.

"Baby…", he said back to her, his voice cracking. Lucas pushed down the tears that were welling up and put up a brave façade for Brooke's sake, "what has he been doing to you, baby?", Lucas asked softly, heartbroken.

"Nothing, broody", Brooke lied through her teeth and both she and Lucas knew that she was only trying to be strong for Lucas, but Lucas chose not to say anything about it, not wanting to upset Brooke in the fragile state he could hear she was in.

"Pretty girl – can you tell me where you are?", Lucas asked hopefully, thinking maybe Brooke could help them somehow with their search for her.

"I'm sorry, Luke, but I don't know", Brooke's voice was trembling even more, and Lucas could tell she was going to burst out crying any moment now.

"Hey baby, it's O.K.. We'll find you, alright? I promise. The police is after Dan and I promise we'll get to you soon", Lucas said in a soft voice. Brooke closed her eyes and could almost feel his soothing voice caressing her. God, did she wish he could really be there and hold her in his arms. She let out a tensed breath she had held and pushed her tears down.

"I know boyfriend…", Brooke answered in a little voice, suddenly feeling extremely weak and sore. Lucas panicked at the lack of livelihood that came from the other side of the line, fearing that Brooke might be loosing consciousness.

"Brooke, babe – stay with me! I need to know what he had done to you!", Lucas realized there was no getting away from the subject. It was important that he knew what physical state she was in.

"Nothing, Luke… I'm fine", Brooke said despite Dan's frightening glare at her. She realized she was going to pay for disobeying him, but she knew the truth would completely break Lucas' heart, and chose to pay the price.

"O.K... If this is how you want it to be, that's fine…", Dan muttered. He took Brooke's arm in his hand, causing the phone to drop to her lap, and twisted it behind her back. Brooke bit her lower lip, squeezing her eyes shut and attempting to block out the pain. Dan just twisted her arm back with more strength, and finally Brooke could no longer help it and let out a cry of pain. Even though her voice was weak, both Nathan and the officer could hear her, and turned to face Lucas, who was by now as pale as snow.

"Brooke – what's going on in there?", Lucas asked in terror, and Brooke could hear him from the phone on her lap. Even though Dan was hurting her as hell, she wasn't planning on cooperating with him.

"Aw!… Luke – don't buy this! This is just mind… Aw!… games he's trying to… Aw!… play with you!", Brooke boldly and loudly shouted, her arm being twisted behind her even more in return. Dan was completely outraged by her attempts to throw his plan off balance. He brutally threw Brooke back and tied her hand again, afterwards slapping her across the face so hard that she choked on her tears and was unable to speak.

"Brooke!!', Lucas heard the sound of Dan's slap and shouted in fear. It was so loud that even Nathan heard it and tensed in fury next to Lucas.

"Well – boyfriend-girlfriend time is over, kids", Dan's glee made Lucas want to kill him. His tension and aggravation had just hit the ceiling.

"Listen, Dan – you leave my girlfriend alone!", Lucas demanded loudly.

"Wait a minute…", Dan used an exaggerated confused tone, "I thought that Brooke was just a friend…", Dan's thunderous laughter filled the line again.

"Get the hell away from her, O.K.?", Lucas shouted at him and Dan, in response, just laughed and hung up. "Hello?… Hello?!… Damn it!!", Lucas exclaimed in rage as he realized the line was dead, but then turned to the officer and asked hopefully, "Did you manage to find out where they are?"

"Not quite…", the officer admitted, "but the good news is, we know what area the call came from, so we've narrowed our search territory to a 20 mile radios area in Georgia", finally Lucas could hear some good news.

"Twenty mile radios?! That's over 1,200 square miles in total!", Nathan quickly did the math and exclaimed, causing the little hope that filled Lucas' heart to disappear.

"Yes, but we have entire local police squads searching all over the area, and we're sending more units over there now", the officer encouraged Lucas and Nathan. "Look, our station is sending a helicopter over there. Would you like to join us?", the officer offered, realizing that the two brothers would not rest unless they could take part in the search.

"Definitely!", Lucas, who had looked defeated since the end of the phone call, regained his determined spark in his eyes.

"I'm coming with you too…", Nathan followed the officer and his brother over to the landing field. He had to be there for Lucas and knew Brooke could probably use all the support she could get when she would be found after the traumatic events she had been through, but even more than that, he wanted to look his father in the eye and simply ask him how could he…

* * *

At the same time, Dan was glaring at Brooke, who remained lying very still and quietly. Her shaky breaths were hitched in her throat and her wide-open eyes were filled with clear tears of pain. She barely made a sound and hardly moved, her body simply too weak for either.

"Things didn't have to end up like this, Brooke, you chose this path", Dan loudly scolded Brooke, who didn't look at him and kept her teary eyes set on the ceiling, "You know, I really never meant to hurt you, but then you did the exact opposite from what I told you! That was very disappointing!", Dan yelled into Brooke's face, causing her to shutter. "I had planned for things to be much nicer between us", Dan's stare at Brooke intensified as his harsh tone became much more quiet but just as terrifying. He sent his hand to Brooke's cheek and wiped the sole tear that escaped Brooke's tearful eyes. Brooke flinched at his rough touch and as his hand made its way from her cheek to her neck and towards her chest, she couldn't help but let out a soft cry. Dan laughed and pulled his hand away from Brooke.

"Brace yourself, _pumpkin_, because I'm nowhere near done with you…".

* * *

**AN: O.K., so this is all for this time. I must warn you that I'm going on vacation with my family on Tuesday and will be gone for two weeks... While I'm gone, I'll try to update once or twice if I can, but I can't promise anything. I do guarantee that I'll write a lot while I'm gone, so I'll only have to type my updates up when I come back. Please don't loose faith on me and my story- I promise to continue this, and I definitely know where I'm going with things... ;-)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! especially for you I worked extra hard and completed another chapter before leaving for my vacation, and here it is! As I already told you, I will probably update again only in a bit over two weeks, but if I'll have access to a computer when I'm away- I'll try to update before... ;-)**

**Before you start reading, I must warn you there are some violent implications in this chapter. I tried to take things down and not make it too violent, but in case you still think it's violent- don't say I didn't warn you... ;-) Anyway- I still hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 11**

The helicopter's propeller slowed down from its speedy pace and came to a complete stop. As it did, Lucas, Nathan, the four assigned cops and the pilot came out of the helicopter, exhausted and frustrated. It was nighttime, too dark for the off-ground search to be effective, and they were forced to call it a night without any new lead or direction. Lucas and Nathan wanted to join the cops who continued surveying the huge search area, but were told that their assistance would be much more required in the morning, and were both too emotionally and physically exhausted to argue.

They were taken to the local police station and crashed on two facing couches that were placed in a side room. The station was quiet, with an occasional phone ring from the adjacent room and muffled conversations between the four cops that were on night duty. The two boys lay there silently, but neither one could fall asleep, one worried sick for the girl he loved so much and the other shaken by the revelation of how deep his father's insanity really was. Nathan glanced over at his brother, and upon seeing the pained expression that scarred Lucas' face, sighed and broke the silence.

"She's tough, you know?", Nathan told Lucas quietly.

"What?", Lucas turned his gaze and attention over to Nathan.

"Brooke… She's a tough girl. She's not gonna break down and fall apart that easily…".

"That's just what she lets people think", Lucas replied, "Look, Nate, you saw her after Keith's party. You know that under all of her shielding masks she's nothing like what she shows outwards". Lucas reminded him, and Nathan tensed up upon thinking about the vulnerable girl he and Haley had comforted that night. He refused to believe that his father would consciously want to hurt that girl. Nathan realized he had to change the subject quickly, before he too would be drifted into the emotional place Lucas seemed to be drowning in. He was silent for a moment and then spoke.

"Luke, how did all of this begin?", Nathan looked at Lucas and asked the question he was curious about ever since Lucas had told him what was going on. Lucas looked back at Nathan for a few moments, and then finally answered.

"It was Keith's wedding day. Keith took my car and drove off right after Jules had left, and I waited for him at the church. When he finally came back, it was already night and Keith was drunk and too upset to speak. I drove him home and when he finally spoke, he told me he wanted to leave Tree Hill. At that moment I realized that Dan didn't only refuse to fulfill his parental responsibilities towards me, but also might deprive me of the only father I've ever known. I managed to convince Keith to stay, but it was then that I realized that Dan had to pay", Lucas revealed to Nathan.

"I'm glad that you told me", Nathan said in response, "and I've got your back on this, Luke".

"Thanks, Nate… This means a lot", Lucas replied honestly. Having his brother's support helped him keep it together during the horrible day he had had. He managed to smile a little at Nathan, "Now get some sleep, little brother".

"You too", Nathan smiled back upon hearing Lucas' nickname for him. He closed his eyes, still smiling, and opened them five minutes later, only to see Lucas still staring at the ceiling, his eyes wide open. "I meant it, Luke, you've got to get some sleep", Nathan said, frowning.

"I can't…", Lucas admitted quietly, his eyes revealing how deep in thought he was and how much emotion he was holding back.

"You're thinking of her?", Nathan knew the answer to his question already, but didn't know what else to say to Lucas. Lucas nodded silently, and the room went quiet again. Nathan closed his eyes, thinking Lucas didn't want to talk about it, but then he finally spoke.

"She hates being alone…", Lucas' voice was so guilt-driven that it broke Nathan's heart, "and I let her be alone so many times… I promised her I'll never leave her again", Lucas said softly, but the emotions in his voice were very strong.

"Lucas don't take the blame for what happened… This is dad's fault, not yours, O.K.?", Nathan told him sincerely, but his own emotions suddenly came to surface, "God! I can't believe he's doing this!", Nathan exclaimed in fury.

"You really can't?', Lucas eyed him with disbelief, "Nate, you moved out of his house because you couldn't stand him anymore. I'm sure you know he's capable of a lot".

"Yeah, but things have gotten better lately. I actually thought that maybe he's really changed…", Nathan's voice was bitter and disappointed. Lucas was silent for several moments, not knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry", Lucas finally said, plainly and honestly.

"Don't be…", Nathan replied, sounding distant, "Tomorrow we'll find him and he's gonna get exactly what he deserves…".

* * *

"Luke, Nate, get up boys!", Nathan and Lucas immediately rose upon the wake up call they received. Neither one slept very well, but they both managed to sneak in a couple of hours of sleep. That moment was actually one of the very few in which both boys were sleeping. The two brothers rubbed their eyes and looked at the person who had just wakened them up.

"Keith! What are you doing here?", Lucas was glad and surprised at the same time to see his uncle, who he had last seen with the cops that remained in Tree Hill.

"Turns out there's a big storm in New-Zealand and all flights have been cancelled until further notice. When your mother called and told me that, I knew I didn't have to worry about her anymore, so I drove here over the night", Keith explained.

"Keith…", Lucas looked at him and was speechless for a moment, "You really didn't have to do that", Lucas finally finished his sentence, and despite his words, he sounded grateful to have him there.

"Yes I did", Keith corrected him, "I'm here for you and for Brooke. I already told you that".

"Thank you", Lucas felt like that day was already better, as he had the absolute and genuine support of both his brother and his uncle. Keith simply nodded.

"Come on, boys, the search party is about to renew the search. Let's join them", Keith leaded and the two boys followed. They all entered one of the four helicopters that were waiting to take off and soon soared into the air.

They had been circling the immense search area, dipping in lower in a different place each time, looking intently under them for any sign or clue that could possibly lead them to Brooke. The tiresome search had been going on for hours, and a breakthrough had yet to happen. The only sounds that could be heard in the alert and tense atmosphere that was formed in the chopper were the propeller's noisy drilling sound and standard reports coming from the on-ground search party, which had no luck either so far. The helicopter just kept dipping lower and lower, but the gathering of trees that formed the huge forest under them shaded their view and made it extremely difficult for them to distinguish anything that they had seen under them.

By the afternoon Lucas was becoming extremely impatient. The hours were passing by and he feared that the approaching darkness hours would arrive before they could find anything, and delay Brooke's rescue in yet another day. Lucas simply couldn't allow that. He just couldn't bear the thought of his pretty girl having to withstand another night alone, with his insane father. Keith noticed the look on his nephew's face and squeezed his shoulder with support, as he too began to fear for the wellbeing of Brooke. Keith kept his mouth shut, but he knew there was no way Brooke would come out of this unharmed emotionally, but just prayed in his heart that she would at least be in reasonable physical form. Keith was always fond of Brooke and was beating himself up for not insisting with Lucas that he would reveal what was wrong with her before Dan had abducted her. He felt as though he may have been able to prevent this whole mess if he would have acted upon the fatherly instinct he had suppressed in order to show Lucas he trusted him, and felt as though he would never forgive himself if things would not end well. Just as the nephew and uncle shared the same pessimistic thought, Lucas' phone rang yet again, catching the attention of all of those who were present. Lucas quickly pulled his phone out and upon seeing the same _"out of area"_ notice flash across his screen, briefly glanced at his watch, noticing it showed the exact same time it had displayed during the previous day, when Dan had called him up.

"It's him!", Lucas informed everyone with complete certainty before answering. The cop who had accompanied him and Nathan during the previous phone-call nodded at him, and Lucas let out a tensed breath he didn't even know he had been holding, and took the call.

"Yeah Dan, I'm listening", Lucas answered impatiently, already knowing his father was about to laugh out loud and then tantalize him at Brooke's expense. And he was right. Before Dan even spoke, his evil laughter could be heard within the helicopter. Both Nathan and Keith shook their heads with fury, recognizing Dan's scheming laughter, and Lucas simply closed his fists, feeling waves of anger run through him and threaten to take him over.

"Lucas Eugene Scott, didn't your mother teach you how to answer a phone properly?", Dan faked a didactic tone, obviously enjoying his little charade.

"What do you want, Dan?", Lucas raised his tone a little, battling against his anger. He wanted to holler at Dan, but managed to keep himself from doing so as he feared that Dan might harm Brooke in response.

"Well, I wanted to express my apologies for the way I have treated Brooke yesterday", Dan began and Lucas immediately didn't like the sound of what he was hearing. "I've decided I'll make it up to her today", Dan continued and now Lucas was truly alarmed. He knew his father – that couldn't mean anything good.

"Don't do this. Your problem is with me, not with Brooke", Lucas told him, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

"But little Brooke is the one I've got to make it up to…", Dan laughed, and just as Lucas was beginning to wonder why he hadn't heard Brooke so far, he could suddenly hear her faint whimper in the background. She sounded so terrible that Lucas' heart immediately began beating harder than it ever had. Lucas felt his blood pulsate through his veins all over his body at the sound of her desperate, weak cry. There was his pretty girl, his baby, and she was hurting bad and there was nothing he could do at that moment to make it all go away for her.

"Please… Just stop this, O.K.?", Lucas pleaded with him, knowing that his desperation was what was motivating Dan, but unable to stay calm upon knowing that Brooke was hurting. Dan definitely managed to get to him.

"Stop what? Brooke and I are having fun today…", Dan faked an innocent voice and then Lucas could hear Brooke whimper again and mumble a weak "stop" to Dan. Just as he thought things couldn't get worse, Dan chuckled and spoke again, "I promise you I won't go rough on her", Lucas' heart froze at the knowledge of what Dan was about to do. He couldn't believe this was happening. It had to be a nightmare. The worst one he had ever had.

"Stop… Don't touch me!… Please… Don't!", the line was filled with Brooke's unhealthy pants and sobs as she pleaded with Dan to leave her alone. Lucas' stomach dropped. This was real. This sick, creepy nightmare was real, and what Dan was now doing to Brooke was something Lucas just couldn't take.

"No! No! No!", Lucas screamed hysterically and his screams were blending with Brooke's pleas and cries of pain and with Dan's laughter and moans, "Not that! Anything but that!", Lucas yelled, the tears he had been bravely holding in for those past couple of horrible days were now pouring freely down his cheeks. His pretty girl was being violated in the worst possible way there could be, and he just had to listen to the whole dreadful thing without being able to help her out.

"Stop!… You're hurting me!… Please…", Brooke continued to weakly scream and cry. Her breaths were becoming more and more sharp and suffocated and Lucas could tell that each one was less easily taken than the prior one.

"Dan, just tell me what you want, O.K.? Anything… I'll do whatever you tell me, but let her go", Lucas was crying his heart out, sobbing as he heard the horrible scene sounded out to his ears.

"Oh yes, Brooke…", Dan continued moaning with pleasure while Brooke was sobbing and panting with pain, "Brooke… Oh… You're such a pretty girl", Dan groaned and then the line went dead.

Lucas collapsed into Keith's arms, crying harder than he could remember ever crying. He knew that Dan was a monster, but he was a man, and Brooke was just a petite girl. He didn't think that even Dan would cross the unthinkable line he had just crossed. Keith tightened the grip he had on his nephew and rocked him back and forth as he cried. He too couldn't believe what his brother had just done. He glanced over to Nathan and saw him holding his head in his hands and staring into space in shock. The three of them were too shaken up to say anything, but just sat there close to each other as Lucas sobbed as hard as though he was grieving.

The officer who sat in front cleared his throat and broke the circle of grief they had created, "we found them", he quietly informed the three of them as the pilot received directions from the on-ground search party and navigated towards the desired location. Lucas lifted his face from Keith's shirt and turned to look through the window with a tearful face.

"_Maybe it's not too late… Maybe he was just playing mind games with me…"_, Lucas tried to convince himself in order to keep it together. He looked through the window as the chopper dipped lower, and could suddenly distinguish a sole cabin in between all the trees.

"There it is!", Lucas exclaimed, and everyone present followed his gaze and saw the cabin as well. The pilot attempted to near the ground, but the many tangled trees that were under him kept him from succeeding. As he ascended and descended, the people present could hear a gunshot fired from inside the cabin and saw someone running out of it.

"Oh my god!", Keith, Nathan and Lucas said in unison.

* * *

**AN:** **Who was shot? Who ran out of the cabin? Is Lucas right and Dan had just been playing mind-games with him, or did he truly hurt Brooke the way everyone thinks he did? How will Lucas, Nathan and Keith reach the cabin? All of this and more next time I update. I apologize in advance if you think this chapter was too violent... And also for the cliffhanger ending... ;-) Please tell me what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys! I know it's been forever since my last update, but I already told you that I was away... On my vacation I worked on this chapter, which has a lot of action (and I really hope will be comprehensible enough with all the events that happe in it). Anyway- here it is, please let me know what you think! Your reviews are simply the best! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

"_There it is!", Lucas exclaimed, and everyone present followed his gaze and saw the cabin as well. The pilot attempted to near the ground, but the many tangled trees that were under him kept him from succeeding. As he ascended and descended, the people present could hear a gunshot fired from inside the cabin and saw someone running out of it._

"_Oh my god!", Keith, Nathan and Lucas said in unison._

**Chapter 12**

"Alright, this is as close as I can get…", the pilot lowered the chopper so its bottom almost touched the treetops and announced as Nathan, Lucas and Keith stared downwards attentively, in a tense silence, trying to figure out the identity of the cabin's refugee. Through the tangled web of branches and leaves that was woven under them, it was difficult to tell.

"But we have to get down there!", Lucas protested. The blood-stopping shot that was heard just moments before was pounding in his head. He needed to get to his pretty girl and make sure she wasn't hurt, and if she was – he had to save her.

"Calm down, Lucas…", one of the officers asked him, "We're going to go down the helicopter's ladder and see what's going on down there, and later update the three of you on everything".

"I'm coming with you", Lucas declared, and was met with a cold, stern look from the cop.

"Not this time. The suspect could be armed, and we just can't jeopardize the safety of civilians in this operation. I'm sorry", the cop informed Lucas with a sincere, non-compromising glare.

"Too bad…", Lucas answered him. He pushed past the two cops who just finished setting the ladder and quickly began racing down.

"Lucas! Get back here!", the cop demanded angrily, but Lucas had already managed to disappear in the thicket of leaves and to blend in the huge forest. Two cops rushed after him and as the third one began quickly going down, the last cop looked at Keith and Nathan.

"You two! Stay right where you are!", the cop ordered them. The uncle and nephew shared a glance, and upon realizing they had the same idea in mind, nodded to each other and quickly maneuvered past the remaining officer and practically ran down the ladder as well. There was no way either one of them could just sit back in the comfortable helicopter and do nothing.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!", the cop yelled in frustration, but it was no use. Nathan and Keith arrived on the ground within moments and there was nothing he could do about it.

The two of them surveyed the area around them, which seemed pretty deserted as the only police car that managed to arrive so far had raced after the person who had escaped from the cabin, who, just like Lucas, was nowhere to be found.

"Let's go into the cabin, Brooke could be in there", Nathan said and Keith nodded, as Nathan expressed his exact thoughts. Before the last cop could even reach the ground, they entered the cabin, which was eerily quiet, and closed the creaking door behind them. The two of them studied the living room area, which unfolded in front of them right when they stepped inside.

"Look – there's a gun over there!", Nathan whispered to Keith, suddenly extremely aware that the person in the cabin could very well not be Brooke, but a very angry Dan Scott. Keith put his finger to his mouth, signaling to Nathan to be quiet. He took the gun in his hand and placed it in the back of his belt. He gestured to Nathan to follow him, not wanting to face the possible scenarios that flashed through his mind as he thought of the two of them splitting up. Nathan did as he was told, and silently, in careful steps, followed his uncle into the cabin's dining room. After they had seen nothing there, they crept over to the bedroom, and gasped at the sight that lay before them.

"Oh my god!", Nathan mumbled upon seeing a frighteningly still Brooke lying on the bed with one hand tied up to the headboard while the other was draped across her side with a bleeding cut across her wrist, which matched the many bruises and cuts that decorated her body. The clothes she was wearing were ripped and the blanket that was carelessly thrown over her didn't do a very good job at covering up her exposed body. Nathan and Keith rushed over to Brooke and after Keith gently untied her pale wrist, Nathan scooped her up in his arms, covering her up with the thin blanket as he did so. At that moment he wished he had collided with his father in the cabin, instead of having to see Brooke in such a terrible shape.

"Nathan, quick, take her to the bathroom!", Keith guided him with stress, realizing that every second might be a matter of life or death for Brooke.

As Nathan carried Brooke over to the bathroom, he was relieved to feel her breath weakly in his arms. When he first saw her, she looked so still, Nathan was afraid that she was gone. Nathan tried to focus, but didn't really know what to do. He had never seen anyone looking so bad, and didn't know what he could do to fix it. He was thankful to feel Keith gently pull him over to the sink and help him hold Brooke up. Even though Nathan could tell Keith was worried to death about Brooke as well, at least he seemed to have an idea as to what could help her. The two of them held Brooke's limp body against theirs, and Keith quickly turned the water on and kept on spraying more and more water on her face, as her head rolled down forwards every time he let go of it. Nathan finally came to his senses and held Brooke's head up against his chest as Keith desperately attempted to help Brooke wake up.

"Brooke! Brooke! Wake up, Brooke! Come on!", Keith moved to gently slapping her cheeks, hoping to revive her, but Brooke didn't even flinch.

"We have to get her out of here!", Nathan told Keith after a few more of his failed attempts of waking her up.

"I know… Let me give this just one last try…", Keith said to Nathan without taking his eyes off of Brooke even for a second. "Brooke! You have to open your eyes, baby! Come on!", Keith gave Brooke two more gentle slaps, and upon realizing that Brooke definitely needed immediate intensive medical care, nodded to Nathan, "Let's go!", he agreed with his nephew.

Nathan was just readjusting the blanket around Brooke's still body, preparing to lift her up again, as he and Keith suddenly heard the cabin's door creak open and then close with a loud thump. They both froze in their places, listening attentively to the heavy footsteps that were becoming louder and closer with every passing second. As Nathan tightened his grasp around Brooke's little helpless body, he saw Keith pull the gun he had taken from the living room out of his belt. Nathan stared at Keith with amazement and fear, and when Keith saw the expression on his nephew's face, he gave him a reassuring nod and gestured to him to stand behind him. Nathan carefully lifted Brooke in his arms, holding her close to him, and did as he was told.

Just as the footsteps were about to reach Nathan, Brooke and Keith, the door swung open again and was then loudly slammed shut once more. Keith clenched his hand around the gun as he heard the second person that entered the cabin race in the same direction as the first one in much lighter, quicker steps.

"Dan! I know you're here! Your game is up!", Nathan and Keith heard Lucas' voice yell into the cabin. Nathan looked at Brooke and felt his heart skip a beat as he realized how pale she was. He had to take her out of the cabin, and he didn't care who was about to stand in his way. He was not going to let her die in his arms.

Nathan slipped past Keith, who tried to grab him but didn't manage to do so. He reached the bedroom again and was about to race back to the living room and out of the cabin when he saw his father standing in front of him, blocking the doorway. He was holding his shoulder, which was bleeding and which Nathan understood was shot, but looked strong and stable, almost as if he was unfazed by it.

"Nathan?! What are you doing here?", Dan asked his son with genuine surprise. He definitely did not expect to see him.

"Dad, get out of the way!", Nathan tried to maneuver past his father, but he wouldn't let him. As he tried to push Dan out of the way, Keith and Lucas appeared from opposite sides of Dan. Lucas' face fell and paled as he saw Brooke lifelessly held in his brother's arms, but he managed to keep his calm.

"Well, what a family reunion!", Dan's fake smile was plastered all over his face. He stood in his place, as still as a rock, as Lucas and Nathan tried to push and pull him out of the way.

"_God! So now he's bullet-proof?!"_, Nathan thought to himself as he saw Dan's gloating smile. Even though he had been injured, Dan was stronger than both boys together, and enjoying their failed attempts of getting him out of the way.

"Danny, you'd better move!", Keith came to his nephews' help. He raised the gun he had been holding and aimed it straight at his brother. He wasn't enjoying threatening Dan this way, but Dan truly left him no choice.

"You want to play this way?", Dan smiled as he asked his question, as if he didn't even mind that a gun was being aimed at his head or that he had just been hurt by a similar weapon. "Fine!", Dan's smile was replaced with an evil glare as he pulled out a second gun he kept in the back of his belt and pointed it directly at Brooke.

"Danny…", Keith's hand began shaking as he was completely taken aback by Dan's unpredictable action.

"Nobody moves or you will all have to say goodbye to little Brooke", Dan threatened with an extremely serious face, causing Lucas, Keith and Nathan to freeze in their places.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing?!", Nathan asked his father with a mixture of anger and fear.

"Quiet, Nathan!", Dan barked at his son, holding the gun up firmly, directly at Brooke.

"No dad… I'm not gonna let you do this! Brooke needs to get to a hospital!", Nathan confidently answered his father, looking him straight in the eye. Defying his father's words, he began moving towards him, intending to somehow get past him and take Brooke outside. Dan's face boiled with fury and a look of genuine insanity formed upon it. He repositioned his hand and quickly fired a shot, which went flying right between Keith and Nathan, missing them both but causing them to jump, terrified.

"I missed on purpose this time. It won't happen again!", Dan loudly informed those present as he went back to aiming the gun at Brooke's unmoving body. Keith and Nathan were too shaken up from the gunshot that almost hit them to respond, but Lucas, who was standing behind Dan, knew he needed to act quickly for the sake of his pretty girl, who at the moment seemed to be doing pretty bad. He crept up to Dan quietly, with careful steps, intending to attempt to tackle him from his wounded shoulder. Just as Lucas was about to make his move, Dan, as if on cue, turned over to him and pushed him into the bedroom. Lucas, who wasn't expecting his actions and therefore did not resist, flew all the way over to Keith and Nathan, who snapped out of the shaken state they were in and helped him steady himself.

"Now, I'll say this again, because my two sons seem to be pretty dense", Dan's intimidating voice and glare moved from Nathan over to Lucas, "_Don't_ move, or I'll finish her up!", Dan coldly set the rules, sending chills down Lucas' spine. He looked down at Brooke, who was still held in his brother's strong arms, and just desperately wanted none of what he was seeing to be true. He knew that the cops must be circulating the cabin, and would probably take over any moment and disarm Dan, but feared that it might be too late. Brooke looked so pale and was so still that Lucas was worried whether she could make it, even without further interference from Dan's part. It pained him so much to see her looking so bad, and all he wanted was to hold her in his arms and make everything go away, but he knew he couldn't. Lucas realized that if Brooke would be in his arms, she would be at a much greater risk than with Nathan, towards whom Dan would never direct a bullet.

Lucas sent his hand towards Brooke's dark, straight hair, which was dull and tangled-up, and not its usual shiny, tidy self. He gently ran his hands through her hair and carefully watched her as she faintly breathed against Nathan's body.

"Baby…", a pained voice escaped Lucas' lips as he continued stroking Brooke's hair softly. It killed him to know that had it not been for his stupid decision to scheme against Dan, Brooke would have never been in this horrific state. She had to endure the hell that Dan had put her through all by herself all because of him, and even now when he was with her, Lucas felt helpless against Dan. All he could do was gently stroke Brooke's hair and hope that the cops could come to their rescue before it would be too late.

"How touching…", Dan's mocking voice maintained its stern tone, "And to think that this is the same boy who turned his father in to the police!", Dan yelled at Lucas angrily, looking straight at him.

"Dan…", Lucas finally looked up from Brooke and over to his father, barely managing to stabilize his voice, which was shaking from anger and fear, "This whole thing is between you and me, Brooke's not part of it. Let Nathan take her out and then do whatever you want with me", Lucas was almost begging. He knew that he was putting himself at a huge risk, but at the moment he didn't care, as he realized that Brooke was loosing precious time he couldn't afford to let her loose.

"What's wrong, son? Are you feeling scared? Helpless?", Dan continued to shout at Lucas coldly, with no emotion, "You should have thought about this before you tried to put me in this position".

"Danny, I think that Lucas has suffered enough for what he did", Keith tried to assist Lucas, as he took a step forward, reminding Dan of his presence and of the presence of the gun he was still aiming at him.

Dan was about to answer Keith when they all heard police sirens coming closer and closer to the cabin. Dan's eyes slightly widened as he realized that they were closing around the cabin, making it impossible for him to escape, trapping him.

"Well Lucas, I guess that you got what you wanted, right?", the tension that was now evident on Dan's face was mixed with an expression of even greater madness than before, "Only one problem – if I'm going down- I'm not going alone", Dan declared and cocked his gun, which was still pointed at Brooke.

"No, no… Stop!"

"Danny, put the gun down!"

"Dad, just stop this!"

Lucas, Keith and Nathan said all at once, their voices blending with each other, making each other's pleas incomprehensible, but emphasizing the mutual panic and fear that the three of them expressed.

"A bit too late for this", Dan replied, taking a step towards Brooke and Nathan. As Nathan looked at his father, he couldn't even recognize him. He had seen him red-faced mad, he had even called him insane before, but never, in a million years, did he think that his own father would aim a gun at him. Even though deep in his heart Nathan didn't believe that Dan would actually fire a shot that could possibly hurt him, he wasn't planning on taking that risk. He tightened his grip on Brooke, whose breaths were becoming weaker and weaker, and glanced at the doorway that Dan had slightly moved away from and made up his mind – he was going to somehow escape through it. There was no way he was going to trust his father with his and Brooke's lives, or wait until it would be too late for her.

At the same time, Lucas was nervously alternating his gaze between Dan's gun and Brooke's body, which was visibly growing weaker by the moment. Even though Lucas knew that Brooke was a fighter, he was certainly not going to depend on that. He clenched his fists and intensively looked at his father's vulnerable shoulder, and made up his mind – he was going to somehow tackle his father. There was no way he was going to let his pretty girl get hurt again, or let his brother suffer the consequences of his own actions.

Just as Nathan and Lucas were silently deciding on their action routes, Keith was eyeing the whole situation with anxious and worried eyes. Even though the seemingly insane person he was aiming his gun at was his brother, the same boy he was raised with, he was definitely not intending to rely on nostalgia. Keith gripped his gun with a stronger grip and let his gaze fall on Dan's ankle, and made up his mind – he was going to somehow bring himself to shoot his brother. There was no way he was going to allow Dan to get even more out of control, or break his promise to Karen to guard Lucas with his life.

"Dan Scott, step out of the cabin with your hands over your head!", all of those present were shaken out of their thoughts as they heard the cops commanding Dan through a loudspeaker from right out of the cabin's window. The two brothers and uncle alertly watched Dan as the panic seemed to drain the blood from his face.

"So long, Brooke", Dan's panic was replaced with a blank expression as his fingers closer on the trigger.

"No!", at the same time, Nathan raced to the door, Lucas lunged at Dan, Keith fired his gun and two more shots were fired- one from Dan's gun and another from outside, shattering the room's glass window. All at once, the room went quiet…

* * *

**AN: Alright- you know me by no- I absolutely love cliffhangers!! But don't worry- I've written most of my next chapter, so it won't be long until I update again! ;-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! First of all- thanks for your great responses for my last chapter! You guys are amazing! I was really thrilled to see that I have over 100 reviews for this story, so I guess this is the time to thank all of you for your wonderful support! I wouldn't have gotten this far along with this story if it wasn't for you! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

"_So long, Brooke", Dan's panic was replaced with a blank expression as his fingers closer on the trigger._

"_No!", at the same time, Nathan raced to the door, Lucas lunged at Dan, Keith fired his gun and two more shots were fired- one from Dan's gun and another from outside, shattering the room's glass window. All at once, the room went quiet…_

**Chapter 13**

Keith stood frozen in his spot, his shaking hand still held up in the same position it was when he fired the shot from the gun he was holding. With his mouth slightly ajar in shock, Keith took in the horrific scene that lay in front of him, the deafening silence that intoxicated the room's air echoing in his ears.

"Oh my god…", Keith shakily took a step forward and lowered his hand. He looked down at the two figures that lay on the floor motionlessly, one next to the other, and just as he felt his heart become as stiff as an ice sculpture, he suddenly saw one of them stir and slowly rise to a sitting position.

"Lucas?!", Keith came to his senses and immediately rushed to his nephew, kneeling down beside him as he rubbed his throbbing head and blinked his eyes in pain. "Are you alright?!", Keith asked anxiously, the panic in his voice extremely evident as he searched Lucas' body for gun-wounds.

"I'm fine… I just hit my head on the floor…", Lucas mumbled as he held his aching head, still blinking in pain.

"So you didn't get shot?", Keith asked, still anxiously, not relieved as he saw the clear pain Lucas was in.

"No…", Lucas answered in slight confusion. His eyes suddenly widened in panic as he regained awareness of his surroundings. He looked around him in alarm, his eyes' frantic search halting as they met the figure that remained unmoving next to him.

"What happened?", Lucas looked up at Keith with questioning eyes. He remembered lunging at Dan, but from then on everything was a blur. He couldn't figure out how his father was brought to his current position, lying still and seemingly hurt on the floor.

"The cops fired a shot that hit him. At the same time I tried to hit him too, but you jumped in and I thought that you were the one that I had hit", Keith explained.

"And Brooke and Nathan?", Lucas scrambled to his feet quickly, suddenly reminded of what his true worries should be. Keith instantly paled. With the whole drama that played out in front of him, he had completely forgotten that Nathan carried an unconscious Brooke past Dan right before Dan shot his own gun.

"Nate!", instead of answering Lucas' question, Keith rose to his feet as well and walked towards the exit of the bedroom as he called his other nephew's name. He and Lucas were about to walk out of the bedroom when the cabin's door flew open and a swarm of cops poured into the cabin. When Keith and Lucas arrived in the cabin's living room, it was completely full of officers, most of whom were huddling together near the entrance, hovering over something Lucas and Keith couldn't see. As the two made their way towards the gathering, several cops noticed them and parted from the group.

"Stay right where you are!", one of the officers said in a stern, authoritative tone.

"Dan Scott – the man you've been looking for, is lying wounded in the room we just came from, and my nephew- Nathan Scott, and Brooke Davis have gone missing ever since the shots were fired", Keith managed to explain through the tension that was threatening to overcome him.

"Jones, Fox, Smith- the suspect is inside the cabin in that room", the officer Keith had spoken to summoned three lower-ranked cops that stood by his side and directed them to the room Keith and Lucas had just come from. The three nodded and went into the bedroom, undoubtedly accustomed with the procedure they were about to perform. The authoritative officer looked after them for a few seconds and then turned back to Keith. "Everything is taken care of. Now I'm going to have to ask you to step aside and remain seated in the corner of the room until you receive further instructions from me".

"But what about my nephew and…", Keith asked in distress and was immediately cut off by the officer.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down!", he raised his voice and said in a severe tone, "the whole situation is under control", he told Keith and Lucas. Just as he finished his sentence, Keith and Lucas could see two still figures being rushed out by two groups of cops.

"Nate! Brooke!!", Lucas called out in panic and tried to race over to them, only to be stopped by the officer's barrier of an arm.

"You CAN NOT go there right now!", the officer's tone grew impatient and annoyed, as the two Scotts seemed to refuse to follow his requests.

"But he's my brother and she's my girlfriend!", Lucas desperately protested, his eyes stuck in the direction he had last seen a glimpse of Nathan and Brooke.

"I'm sorry, but the regulations are…"

"Let them go, Walker!", the officer who had been holding Lucas and Keith back was cut off by the same cop that primarily offered Lucas to join the search party.

"Detective Roberts…", Walker uncomfortably addressed him. It was extremely clear, by Detective Roberts' commanding tone and by Walker's hesitant one, that Detective Roberts was the higher-ranked officer out of the two.

"It's O.K., Walker, they're coming with me", Roberts took responsibility of his actions, trying to reassure the uneasy looking cop in front of him.

"But, Detective Roberts, you know that…", Walker began stuttering a protest when Roberts cut into his speech once again.

"Are you testing my knowledge of the official regulation?", Roberts raised an eyebrow and sternly questioned.

"Of course not, detective…", Walker immediately answered, knowing that Detective Roberts was _not_ the person one would want to mess with.

"Good!", Roberts shot him a glare and then turned to Lucas and Keith, "let's go", he said to them and the two followed him immediately, grateful to have him on their side. They entered a police car that was parked right out of the cabin and began driving away. As they drove, Lucas' gaze was glued to the cabin, which was becoming smaller and smaller. He suddenly saw his father being carried out of the cabin, struggling against the officers who carried him. Lucas' eyes sparked with anger. He was furious that the man that caused his pretty girl so much pain seemed to look so strong and well, despite his injuries, while Brooke seemed frighteningly still and weak. He clenched his fists, unable to stand the thought of Dan being up and about while Brooke's fate seemed so blurry.

"Detective, do you know anything about Brooke and Nathan's conditions?", Lucas was shaken out of his thoughts as he heard his uncle address Detective Roberts. He alertly shifted his gaze from the cabin over to the detective, eager to hear anything about his pretty girl and brother.

"Nathan will be fine. I saw him when he was taken away. A bullet grazed his shoulder a bit, and he was pretty shaken up, but he will just need a few stitches and that's all", Roberts calmed down Keith and Lucas' nerves a bit.

"And Brooke?", Lucas asked hopefully, wanting to receive optimistic news about his girlfriend as well.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. She was rushed away before I was notified of her condition", Roberts informed a disappointed Lucas and a worried Keith. They drove in silence, each man caught up in his own thoughts until they reached a helicopter that waited for them in an open area.

"Come on", Detective Roberts led them to the helicopter, "let's go and see how Miss Davis is doing…"

* * *

After a speedy helicopter ride, the officer, uncle and nephew arrived at the Riverview Hospital, a large and well-known hospital, which was located thirty minutes away from Tree Hill. The three were directed by the receptionist to the emergency room, into which they were told Brooke was rushed for immediate surgery. They frantically ran through the halls and upon reaching the emergency room's waiting hall, were greeted by Nathan and several cops.

"Nate!", Keith and Lucas ran over to Nathan as Detective Roberts parted from them and huddled with the cops.

"Nate, are you alright?", Lucas asked him worriedly, looking at the bandage that was wrapped around his brother's injured shoulder and at the black-and-blue mark that decorated his forehead.

"Luke, I'm so sorry", Nathan said in a tortured, shaky voice. Lucas had never heard him sounding so defeated and frightened, and that scared him to death.

"Nate?", Lucas looked at his brother with fearful eyes, scared to hear exactly what Nathan was sorry about.

"I tried to protect her, Luke, I swear. But then I got hit and I don't know what happened to her afterwards… I'm sorry, Luke, I swear that I tried…", Nathan said, becoming upset. Lucas could see how shaken-up his brother was, so he pulled him over for a brotherly hug.

"I know you did, man. It's not your fault", Lucas quietly said to him, relieved that Nathan hadn't delivered the news he was most afraid of, but still scared to death to know what the true extent of Brooke's injuries was.

"She's been there forever, Luke, and nobody will tell me what happened", Nathan shared with Lucas, breaking up the hug and looking at him with a worried expression.

"Boys, why don't you sit down and I'll go and see if I can find anything out", Keith suggested, thinking that the doctors and cops may not have wanted to share information with a shaken-up minor who was sitting in an emergency room all be himself. The two brothers nodded and sat down quietly, side by side, as Keith went, searching for answers. Neither boy said a word for quite a while, until Lucas finally broke the silence.

"She has to be O.K.", Lucas quietly said, half to himself and half sharing with Nathan. His voice was shaky and he felt the tension poking him from inside his skin with thousands of invisible needles. He was officially scared out of his mind, so much that he couldn't hide it anymore at all. Just thinking back to the sight of his pretty girl's hurt and weak body sent chills down his spine and tears up his throat. He couldn't loose her, she was the girl he loved.

"I know…", Nathan distantly said, still slightly in shock from the entire day's events. The first sight of Brooke's bleeding and tied-up wrists, the initial fear of having lost his friend, the realization that his father would actually endanger and shoot him and the pang of pain he felt in his shoulder all swirled around in his head and occupied his mind. He couldn't believe that all the surreal events that he had been through in the past day actually happened.

"I really don't know what I would do if…"

"Lucas! Nathan!", Lucas' choked up sentence had been cut off when the two boys heard a familiar high-pitched voice calling out their names. They both shot their heads up and saw Haley running over to them quickly.

"Nathan… Thank god you're O.K….", Haley reached her husband and fell into his arms. Nathan embraced his wife, holding her tightly to him, and felt that her gentle touch was pulling him back to reality and out of the shaken-up state he had been in.

"Hales…", Nathan closed his eyes as he took in her scent. He had suddenly realized he hadn't seen her for more than two days, which seemed like a whole year, considering how eventful they were. "I missed you", Nathan quietly told his wife, tightening his grip on her.

"So did I, baby", Haley softly told him and then pulled apart from him and looked deeply into his eyes. "I'm so glad you're O.K.", she told him, "When the cops called and told me what happened to you I was so worried…".

"I'm fine", Nathan reassured Haley, squeezing her shoulders and smiling at her sadly.

"So are they releasing you? Can I take you home now?", Haley asked. Lucas and Nathan shared a confused look, wondering how Haley could suggest leaving before they knew anything about Brooke, when it dawned on Nathan that the cops must have not told her about Brooke. Haley was a person who would never walk away from a friend in need.

"Hales, baby… The cops didn't tell you about Brooke, did they?", Nathan gently asked his wife, rubbing his thumbs back and forth across her shoulders.

"No… What has Brooke got to do with Dan almost shooting you?", Haley asked with confusion, keeping her eyes locked with Nathan's.

"He was aiming for her…", Nathan quietly told her, looking at her attentively and seeing Lucas' gaze fall to the floor out of the corner of his eye.

"What?!", Haley gasped in shock, completely unaware that her friend didn't simply skip school for the past few days, but was in true danger.

"My father abducted her two days ago, and we found her unconscious tonight", Nathan gently broke the news to her, feeling his heart skip a beat as he saw her face fall and pale.

"Oh my god…", Haley muttered in shock, unable to comprehend how something so awful could happen to a person like Brooke, who had such a big heart. "Is she alright?", Haley still kept her eyes on Nathan, knowing that he would always tell her the truth.

"We don't know…", Nathan answered honestly, swallowing hard as he realized how severe the situation was.

"Oh my god!", Haley repeated and covered her mouth with her hand, obviously horrified by what she had just learned. She whirled around to face Lucas and immediately felt her heart breaking by the sight of his frightened, distant state. "Oh my god, Luke…", Haley rushed over to the lost boy who was like a brother to her and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly. Just by hugging Lucas, Haley managed to express her genuine care and concern for both him and Brooke, and Lucas gladly accepted it. He hugged Haley's small frame tightly and was suddenly reminded of the feeling of Brooke's little body in his arms.

"What am I gonna do if she's not O.K., Hales?", Lucas couldn't take it anymore, and broke down crying. His heart-wrenching sobs broke Haley and Nathan's hearts, who could tell how much Lucas loved Brooke.

"You can't think like that, Luke. You have to stay positive, O.K.?", Haley managed to find comforting words, even though her own emotions were rapidly rising as she witnessed her best friend's breakdown.

"Haley… This is all my fault…", Lucas cried uncontrollably, holding onto Haley for dear life as he did, "It's my fault that Brooke…"

"Hey.. Shh… It's O.K.", Haley tightened her grip on Lucas' shaking body and let him continue to cry on her shoulder. The two of them had been through a lot together, but Haley had never seen Lucas this upset.

"I'm scared, Haley…", Lucas' sobbed-out confession completely shattered Haley's heart. He was so lost, so broken, and she didn't really know what she could do to fix things for him.

"I know, Luke… It's O.K.", Haley tried to assure him as tears silently rolled down her cheeks. She kept on holding him, realizing how desperately he needed her comfort, how lost he would be without her embrace, and prayed in her heart that Brooke would be alright. As Haley felt Lucas' sobs slightly subside with the help of her calming presence, the two of them and Nathan suddenly heard someone slightly clear his throat behind them. The three teenagers turned to face Keith with a serious-looking doctor by his side.

"This is Brooke's doctor", Keith introduced the man, "he has some news about Brooke's condition…".

* * *

**AN: O.K., so this is it for this time. As always- I'll be really happy to hear your thoughts about this. I have a pretty hectic week coming up, so I'm not gonna make any promises about my next updating time, but I can tell you that I have started writing the next chapter! ;-)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone! So I had a really busy week, but now I finally managed to have time to update, so here is my new chapter! Hope you guys like it, and as always- I'd love to hear your thoughts about it! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 14**

Lucas tensely stared at the sinister looking doctor who stood in front of him, keeping his eyes on the clipboard the doctor held to his chest, which was bearing the information he most wanted to know, yet most feared from at the same time. He didn't dare utter a word, afraid that breaking the eerie silence the filled the room might result in the breaking of his heart.

"I'm Dr. Goldstein", the doctor finally introduced himself, "I am the head of the team that operated on Brooke…"

"Is she going to be alright?", Lucas could no longer remain silent, and cut into Dr. Goldstein's speech.

"Well…", the doctor cleared his throat and glanced at his clipboard, causing Lucas' heart to beat even more quickly, "Brooke suffered some extensive injuries", Doctor Goldstein looked at Lucas with grave eyes as he slowly and clearly broke the news, "We had to stop an internal bleeding in her stomach, one of her ribs is fractured, her lungs have been internally harmed and she suffered a concussion", Dr. Goldstein cleared his throat again and buried his eyes in his clipboard once more, as Lucas' devastated and frightened gaze caused him to need to take a breath of air before he could break the additional news he had, which he could already see would crush the boy's heart. "Brooke has also…", the doctor began, and upon lifting his eyes from the clipboard and seeing the ocean that started to rise in Lucas' eyes as he learned there was more, stopped and took a deep breath. When he saw Keith put a supportive arm across Lucas' shoulders, Dr. Goldstein felt as though he could continue, "Brooke has also been attacked sexually", he finally revealed, and watched Lucas' face fall with horror.

"It's gonna be O.K.", Keith supported Lucas, who became weak in the knees and began to tremble.

"No… No…", Lucas whispered, still refusing to believe that what he had heard his father do to the girl he loved was actually true. Lucas shook, angry and broken, and felt tears starting to roll out of his eyes again.

"I'm sorry…", Dr. Goldstein genuinely expressed his sorrow for the terrible news he had just delivered.

"No!", Lucas now yelled, "This isn't true!", he shouted and then broke down again, sobbing like a little boy. Keith silently grabbed Lucas and hugged him tightly as he fell apart, finally allowing the awful truth to sink in. Haley and Nathan carefully came up to him as well, putting a supportive hand on Lucas' back as they shed tears of their own.

"I want to see her!", Lucas finally pulled away from everyone and stepped over to Dr. Goldstein. "When can I see her?", Lucas asked, still crying as hard as hell.

"Brooke is currently sedated…", Dr. Goldstein gently said, "We need to make sure she stays still for a few days so her stomach injury won't reopen and that she won't cause her fractured rib to break", he explained.

"I don't care, I need to see her", Lucas choked out, "I won't move her, I swear".

Dr. Goldstein looked at Lucas' upset face, thinking carefully. Normally he couldn't let anyone but immediate family into the intensive care unit Brooke had just been moved to right after her surgery, but seeing that none of Brooke's immediate family had come and how deeply close Lucas seemed to be to her, Dr. Goldstein decided to make an exception.

"Alright…", Dr. Goldstein finally nodded, "Follow me", he instructed Lucas, who seemed to be revived by the knowledge that he would be able to see Brooke. He sniffled as he bit his quivering lip and wiped away his tears. Lucas followed Dr. Goldstein into the intensive care unit, and was stricken with shock as he saw the patients that occupied the hospital beds that were transported through the hallways by medical staff and the doctors that ran after them, loudly and tensely giving instructions in medical terms he wasn't familiar with. The poor condition that the patients were in sent chills down Lucas' spine, as he realized that his pretty girl was one of the pale, disconnected and injured patients that were rushed past him.

Dr. Goldstein noticed the frightened look on Lucas' pale face as they slowed down and stopped at the entrance of Brooke's room, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He realized he had to prepare him for what he was about to see.

"Listen… When you go in there, Brooke is going to be connected to a lot of machines that might look frightening, but they're actually helping her out", Dr. Goldstein warned and Lucas nodded understandingly as he wiped away a sole tear that escaped from his eyes. "She won't be able to respond to anything you say or do due to the sedatives we've given her… You have to understand that she will be very still and pale, O.K.?", Dr. Goldstein eyed Lucas, trying to estimate the impact that his softened-up explanation of Brooke's state had on him. Lucas swallowed the lump that seemed to be forming in his throat and nodded.

"O.K., now remember- no moving her, alright?", Dr. Goldstein made sure that Lucas understood the importance of that instruction before opening the door to Brooke's room and gently guiding Lucas inside.

Lucas hesitantly stepped into the room and stared in shock at the still girl that lay in the hospital bed before him, paling at the sight. This was not the cheery, vibrant Brooke he knew and loved. This Brooke was a porcelain version of sleeping beauty, whose perfect face and body were stained by colorful marks that Dan had drawn on her with his fists. As the doctor had promised, she was connected to many machines and tubes, which Lucas could see were providing her oxygen, blood transfusion, liquids and medicine, and closely monitoring her heart rate and pulse, beeping regularly as an indication that Brooke's condition was stable. Yet Lucas was unable to find relief and comfort in that. All he could see was how bruised and hurt Brooke was, how stiff and uncalm her body seemed to be, how she almost unnoticeably flinched in pain every now and then despite the sedatives and pain medication he knew she was receiving, and it just broke his heart.

"God…", Lucas muttered to himself in a half shaky-half angry voice as he walked up to Brooke and took a seat next to her bed. He studied Brooke's face, truly seeing it without any distractions for the first time in more than two days, his eyes pausing on every cut, on every bruise and on every black-and-blue mark, imagining the violent incident from which Brooke received it. The mark on Brooke's cheekbone must have been caused by Dan's fist colliding with it, the one right under it was probably created by his knuckles, and the dressed cut he knew was hiding under the bandage on her forehead could have been made when Dan shoved her onto something. Lucas continued looking at Brooke's bruises, allowing them to tell his imagination the story behind their creation, as Brooke's mouth and eyes couldn't perform that task at that moment. He just silently remained in his place, so occupied with his study of Brooke's face that he didn't even notice Dr. Goldstein coming from behind him and putting his hand on his shoulder.

"You can hold her hand if you'd like to", Dr. Goldstein told Lucas, realizing how worried about Brooke's condition Lucas was and wanting to prove to him that he had faith that Brooke was strong enough to pull through.

"I don't want to hurt her…", Lucas objected, only from the pure fear that if he would touch her, Brooke would break. There was nothing he wanted more than to touch Brooke and finally reassure himself that she was truly next to him, where he could effectively protect her, but she looked so fragile that he was afraid to take the risk.

"Here", Dr. Goldstein smiled kindly at Lucas as he gently took Brooke's pale, cold hand in his and carefully placed it in Lucas' palm. He could understand why Lucas was reluctant to do anything after his warnings and after taking a good look at Brooke, but knew that the small gesture would do no harm to Brooke and would probably cheer Lucas up a little.

Lucas could feel his heart beating hard with excitement as Brooke's small hand was set in his large, masculine one. He carefully closed his fingers around Brooke's frail hand, tightly enough to keep her hand settled stably in his, yet gently enough to remain from squeezing it. Lucas lifted his eyes from Brooke's hand to her pale face, and even though he could still see it slightly twitch in pain every once in a while, she suddenly seemed calmer to him, as though she knew he was there and felt a bit safer.

"Hi baby…", Lucas whispered to Brooke and carefully rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. Encouraged by the feeling that Brooke might be able to sense his presence, he was determined to communicate with her, even if she couldn't respond.

As Lucas continued to whisper soothing words to Brooke, Dr. Goldstein added more medication to one of the tubes that was connected to Brooke's veins and smiled at the sight of the young boy's love towards the girl he had just managed to save. He knew Brooke had a long road to recovery, but having a supportive person such as Lucas seemed to be, at her side, was something Dr. Goldstein always considered as extremely helpful.

Dr. Goldstein turned his attention towards the machines that monitored Brooke's condition. He wrote the numbers that appeared on them in his clipboard and glanced at Brooke's face, which, with the help of the medication he had just given her, now seemed tense-free. Satisfied, Dr. Goldstein turned to face Lucas.

"I need to go and check on other patients now, but you can stay here with Brooke. A nurse should come in every thirty minutes to make sure everything is alright and I will stop by later tonight to check on Brooke, but if anything seems to change about her condition, you can press the emergency button that's over the headboard and someone will immediately come, alright?"

"Alright…", Lucas replied after attentively listening to Dr. Goldstein's explanation, and then added, "Thank you for everything, Doctor", Lucas said, the emotion in his blue eyes making it clear for Dr. Goldstein how deep the gratitude Lucas had just expressed truly was. Dr. Goldstein smiled his kind smile and put his hand on Lucas' shoulder.

"You're welcome… But now you're going to have to help me take care of Brooke. Alright?", Dr. Goldstein said.

"Of course I will", Lucas immediately replied, "I'll do whatever it takes to help her get better…"

* * *

The first rays of sun lit up Brooke's room and flashed right onto Lucas' closed eyes. Lucas squeezed his closed eyes, trying to escape the light, but it was so bright that it managed to blind him even though his eyes were shut. Lucas finally gave up and opened his eyes, which were blood-shot due to the little amount of sleep he allowed himself to have during the night. After getting Brooke back, he couldn't afford to rest, as he felt he had to watch over her and make sure nothing happened to her at night. The night-shift nurse, who was surprised by Lucas' presence when she came to check up on Brooke for the first time, and guilt-stricken when she woke Lucas up for the second time in a row just as he was dozing off, had soon grown accustomed to him waking up every time she came in, and making sure that Brooke was indeed alright. Despite her repeated pleas that he would stay asleep and promise to wake him up if anything changed, Lucas insisted on monitoring Brooke together with the nurse until 3:30 A.M., when he had finally been defeated by the exhaustion that he had accumulated during the past few days. He slept soundly for these few hours, and even though they were nowhere near enough to make up for his lack of sleep, the feeling of Brooke's hand in his managed to wake Lucas up completely.

Lucas looked at Brooke's face and smiled as he saw how the sun made her brown hair, which was messily sprawled on her pillow around her head, glow like an aura. She looked like an angel to him, so much that he had to slightly tighten his grip on her hand to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming. As he did so, he saw Brooke's face slightly flinch in pain, just as it did when he first saw her, and could immediately tell that the nurse would probably come in with another dose of Brooke's medication any minute. The same thing had happened in the middle of the night, when just as Brooke began to make signs of regaining consciousness, Dr. Goldstein came in for his last check-up of the night and sedated her again. Lucas knew that it was for Brooke's own good, but couldn't help but feel his heart break as he once again saw her drift farther away from him. This time, Lucas was determined to take advantage of the little time he had until Brooke would lie motionlessly again, and make no signs of communication with him, as he knew that the more her medication wore off, the higher the chance was that she could hear him.

Brooke flinched again, and Lucas brought the hand which he had held all night, to his lips and gently kissed it.

"Good morning, pretty girl", Lucas said to her, kissing her hand two more times and then carefully setting it back on the bed in his secure grasp. He looked up at Brooke's face, slightly smiling at the sight of her angelic features, when he saw her try to move her head a bit. At that moment, Lucas was certain that Brooke knew he was there, and was fighting her medications and pain to try and come back to him. Although there was nothing he wanted more than to see her beautiful eyes open and shine their hazel warmth at him, he knew he couldn't let her push it. He leaned to kiss her hand again and then carefully stroked it with his thumb.

"Hey, calm down, baby", Lucas said to her soothingly and when he saw her flinch again, continued, "Brooke, you've gotta rest now and let your body heal, O.K.?", he gently told her. He smiled when he saw her eyelashes flutter just the slightest bit, realizing that Brooke's stubborn, feisty fire was still there. "Baby, I know you want to wake up and be with me, but I'm not going anywhere, alright? So you have to relax and rest now, so in a few days you can wake up and be all better, and I promise not to leave your side", Lucas tried to calm Brooke down. He was just about to push the emergency button, so the nurse would give Brooke the medicine which will help her relax, when he felt Brooke's little fingers slightly close around his hand. It wasn't a strong grip, but it was definitely there, and Lucas was so caught up in that moment that he couldn't move and couldn't do a thing except look at the girl he loved so much and feel his heart warming as it was refilled with belief that everything would be alright in the end.

Lucas continued staring at Brooke and stroking her hand back and forth, and let the tears that filled his eyes silently roll down his cheeks. Brooke might be hurt, damaged and scarred, but she was there, and even in the fragile state she was in, she managed to make sure he knew it.

"I love you, babe", Lucas finally managed to say, and thought he saw Brooke's features ease some of their stress afterwards.

Brooke's hand was still planted in Lucas' hand in their mutual gentle grip when the nurse finally came and sedated Brooke once more. Lucas watched as the tension in her muscles eased and felt his heart twitch as he felt her soft grip on his hand loosen more and more, until it became non-existent. With his free hand, he quickly wiped away the sole tear that had just escaped his eyes and the evidence of the ones he had shed before, and let out a shaky breath he didn't even realize he was holding. The emotion that seemed to flood him stopped its course up his throat when he looked at Brooke's face again. She looked so worriless and peaceful that Lucas immediately felt his emotionality fade, and as he continued staring at her, he even thought he saw a hint of a smile on her lips. Lucas smiled back and leaned down to kiss her hand, truly believing that together, they would be able to get through this and then everything would be alright again.

* * *

**AN: I'd like to dedicate the ending of this chapter to everyone who thought I was mean with my cliffhanger endings... lol... I will probably have more of those, so this one's for you! I know this chapter was slightly slower than usual, but the drama is not over yet! If it was unclear last time, Dan was shot, but not dead at all, so expect him to be back sometime in the future... But this is all until next time! ;-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! First of all, I'd like to thank those of you who are still reading and reviewing my story! I know that some of the stuff in my last chapter was a bit contraversial, but that's just how I saw things happening. I debated with myself for a long time whether to go through with it or to give in to what people wanted to read, but in the end you all know what I decided to do... ;-) I was glad to hear each one of your reviews, even if you guys weren't happy with my decision- so thanks to everyone! I would really like to hear your thoughts on this chapter, good or bad, just so I can know you guys are still with me... ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 15**

When the afternoon sunrays danced playfully in and out of the window of Brooke's hospital room, Lucas allowed himself to let go of Brooke's hand for the first time since that morning and walked over to the window, stretching his stiff muscles on his way. Gazing out of the window, he was breath-taken by the amazing view that lay before him – a vast plain through which a wide river coursed. Lucas was captivated by the beauty of nature and couldn't take his eyes off of the sight of the water flowing freely in its endless course. That moment, when he watched the picture of nature's wonders portrayed before him and felt the sunbeams tickle his eyelashes, seemed one thing away from perfection, and that one thing was to hold Brooke in his arms and share that wonderful sight with her.

Lucas' attention was averted back to Brooke when he suddenly heard her making a weak sound. Considering the tube that occupied her throat, Lucas knew that making even the faintest of sounds was not an easy task. He quickly rushed back to Brooke's side and gently grasped her hand, looking at her now agonized-looking face. It broke his heart to see how much pain she was enduring and how hard she was fighting to regain consciousness, a battle against chemistry she couldn't possibly win.

"Shh… Baby, calm down…", Lucas attempted to soothe Brooke, but she slightly stirred and flinched again, as if she was having a terrible nightmare and was desperately trying to wake up. Lucas hesitantly sent his hand towards Brooke's head and gently stroked her hair, his hand merely grazing it, as he feared to hurt her.

"Pretty girl, it's not time to wake up yet, O.K.?", Lucas tried again, "You've got more time for your beauty sleep…", he tried to smile, knowing that Brooke could always sense if he was smiling when he talked to her on the phone and hoping she could do the same now and take comfort in that. His smile vanished in moments when one of Brooke's machines started beeping loudly and quickly. Lucas fearfully pulled his hand away from Brooke's head, not knowing what happened or whether he had done anything to cause it. His eyes started watering as he stood helplessly frozen by Brooke's bedside. She had been through so much and was hurt so badly that Lucas didn't think he could handle even one more thing going wrong with her.

Within moments, a team of nurses and medical assistants rushed into the room, over to Brooke. Lucas reluctantly let go of her hand and allowed a medical assistant to move him aside so Brooke could be examined without interference. The medical staff circulated Brooke's bed and Lucas could no longer see Brooke and only stood in the corner of the room, simply lost. Dr. Goldstein suddenly hurriedly came in, shooting Lucas a sympathetic look on his way to Brooke's bed. He was given immediate access to her, and after examining her a bit, told the medical staff to take Brooke back to the operating room.

"What's going on?!", Lucas fearfully asked as Brooke's bed was quickly wheeled away. He began running along with the medical team when Dr. Goldstein came to his side.

"Lucas, we're going to need to operate on Brooke again. You are going to have to wait in the waiting room, and I will update you as soon as I can", Dr. Goldstein said. He put his hand on Lucas' shoulder for a brief moment, after which he continued running with the medical team while Lucas stopped in the middle of the hallway. Hospital beds were being wheeled from his left and from his right, but Lucas only noticed the one bed that was quickly slipping out of his sight, which carried the one girl he cared most about. Once she was no longer visible, Lucas released a deep sigh and walked to the waiting room with slow steps and a heavy heart. There were so many emotions that he had suppressed inside of him during those past few days, that he no longer knew what to let out and simply remained silent, letting the gravity of things sink in. His girlfriend was in the hospital, unable to even independently breathe, fighting for her life for all he knew, and all because of an idiotic revenge plan he attempted to complete against his father. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been a few days before, to have a foolish payback plan at the top of his priority list, as opposed to this moment, in which his only care was for Brooke to make it and be better again.

Lucas finally reached the waiting room and was genuinely glad and relieved to find Keith there, waiting for him. He most certainly did not want to be alone at that moment, and after Keith took one good look at him, he realized that and rushed to give Lucas a supportive hug. He wasn't going to ask questions at the moment, just silently let Lucas know that he was there for him, for anything he might need.

"She's back in surgery", Lucas finally sighed and pulled away from Keith, revealing the disturbing truth to him. He then went over to one of the chairs that were set against the room's walls, and sat down silently, not making eye contact with Keith. He knew that if he would, his emotions might start pouring out, and if they would, he wasn't sure if he would be able to stop them.

"What?! Why?", Keith asked in shock as he took a seat beside his nephew, eyeing him worriedly. Just before he had left the hospital during the prior night, he had spoken to Dr. Goldstein, who had assured him that Brooke was stable and out of any immediate danger. "What happened?", Keith questioned, not understanding what could have gone wrong since his conversation with the doctor.

"I don't know", Lucas absentmindedly shrugged and said, not allowing his mind to hang on to one of the many possible complications of Brooke's condition, which were now swirling in his head, making him dizzy and nauseous.

Keith sighed as he carefully eyed the boy that sat next to him, who seemed to be carrying the world's weight on his shoulders at the moment. He knew that Lucas was a remarkably mature teenager, yet feared that even for him, things had gotten too tough to handle. Keith knew there was one more thing Lucas needed to know, something that would extremely upset him, yet at the moment decided to spare him the additional news. He realized that Lucas was a bundle of nerves and that the information he bore could be the straw breaking the camel's back, and therefore just silently sat next to him, putting his hand on Lucas' shoulder as a fatherly attempt to ease the nerve-wrecking wait until they both learned about Brooke's fate…

* * *

An hour later, Lucas could no longer remain sitting still. He rose to his feet and began pacing back and forth in the room, trying to rid himself of the tension and fear that flowed in his veins. He couldn't understand what was taking so long, as the single hour that had passed seemed to him like half a dozen. Just as Lucas decided that he had had enough and was about to go to the nurses' station to ask about the progress of the operation, he and Keith heard footsteps coming their way. Both of them immediately darted their gazes towards the entrance of the waiting room, hoping to see Dr. Goldstein grinning and telling them that the operation went smoothly, but instead, were surprised to find Karen rushing into the room.

"Mom!", Lucas ran up to his mother as soon as he spotted her. He threw himself into her arms and closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to be comforted, the way only a child in his mother's arms could be.

"Lucas! My boy!", Karen tightly hugged her son. She was completely worn-out from the long flight and tiring drive from the airport to the hospital, but as soon as she saw the look that was on Lucas' face before he pulled her into his arms, all of her thoughts about her own exhaustion instantly faded and were replaced with concern for her boy.

"Mom, I'm sorry…", Lucas said in a shaky voice, tightening his grip on his mother and feeling his tears form in his eyes.

"Shh… It's alright, Lucas", Karen tried to soothe her son, but felt his body begin to shake in her arms. She brought him closer to her heart, realizing that Lucas was now crying.

"Things have gotten so messed up…", Lucas said into his mother's ear, suppressing a sob. Only now, with his mother by his side, did he let himself feel like he was just a boy who had gotten in way over his head.

"It's going to be O.K., my boy", Karen tried to reassure Lucas, but influenced by the warmth of her hug, Lucas was now unable to stop himself.

"This whole mess is my fault, mom… I'm so sorry I messed up so bad…", Lucas cried into Karen's shoulder, his heart pounding hard and pouring fear, sorrow and regret into his vein. While he was sitting at Brooke's bedside, he was able to pretend that everything was fine, but now, when her state was once again unknown, Lucas had to admit that things looked really bad. He was shaken out of his pessimistic thoughts when Karen pulled him away from her and made him face her.

"Lucas, listen to me", she said to him softly, "Nobody is blaming you for anything, alright?", Karen looked into her son's eyes and tried to make him believe in what she said. To herself, Karen didn't deny that what Lucas had done was foolish, even if Dan had deserved it, but to Lucas, who was beaten-up with guilt enough as it was, she was only going to be supportive.

"But if I would have never…", Lucas began, but was quickly cut off by Karen's confident and sincere tone.

"You are not to blame for anything, Lucas", Karen told him, and merely for a moment, Lucas felt slightly better. He wiped away his tears and took a step back from his mother, to look at her. Her hair was messy from hours of traveling, black bags underlined her eyes from lack of sleep and her clothes were wrinkled up, but the look in her eyes was more reviving and comforting than anything could be.

"I'm glad you're here, mom", Lucas' lips formed a small and sad, yet genuine, smile. His mother's presence was truly making him feel better. Karen smiled back at her son. His words warmed her heart as she could sense how truthfully spoken they were.

"I'm glad Keith called me", she replied, finally acknowledging Keith's presence as well. She hadn't meant to ignore him, but was simply so caught up with Lucas that only now she found the time to walk over to Keith and greet him with a hug. Lucas looked over at Karen and Keith, the two people he considered to be his parents, and thought how perfectly they fit in each other's arms, how perfect they seemed to be together and how perfectly whole he felt when the both of them were with him. Lucas smiled as he watched them embrace, but as they pulled apart, suddenly realized he was forgetting something.

"Mom, where's Andy?", he inquired, suddenly remembering the existence of his mother's boyfriend.

"In New Zealand", she quickly replied, not looking either Keith or Lucas in the eye. Lucas and Keith glanced at each other curiously, and just when Lucas was about to further question his mother, all three heard another set of footsteps heading their way. They immediately turned their attention to the entrance of the waiting room, and alertly waited for the person to come in. Upon seeing Dr. Goldstein appear at the waiting room's doorway, Lucas rushed over to him and Keith and Karen followed closely behind.

"Please tell me everything went alright", Lucas didn't even give Dr. Goldstein a chance to open his mouth and immediately begged.

"The operation went just fine", Dr. Goldstein replied instantly, knowing how nervous and worried the people before him were, and not wanting to delay the relieving news. As he watched the three sigh with relief, he continued elaborating, "Brooke is stabilized again. We had to stop another internal bleeding in her stomach that was apparently caused by tension applied to an area that had been harmed and had begun healing before we first operated. To avoid recurring cases such as this, we put her under heavy narcotics, as we observed she managed to be slightly too active under the influence of the lighter ones".

"Can I see her?", Lucas questioned, wanting to verify that Brooke was indeed alright.

"Only tomorrow, Lucas. Brooke is still in the recovery room, recovering from the operation", Dr. Goldstein tried to explain his refusal, but Lucas was determined to get what he wanted.

"Then I'll wait a few hours, until she's back in her room", Lucas suggested, eager to see Brooke with his own eyes.

"Listen, Lucas, your presence seems to stimulate Brooke and cause her to fight to wake up. Tonight she's too weak to strain herself like that, so I suggest that you'll go home and get some rest, and as of tomorrow, come here every day after school, during visiting hours and sit by her side, alright?", Dr. Goldstein gently suggested, not wanting to upset Lucas. Lucas, who realized that Dr. Goldstein's refusal was only in Brooke's best interest, finally reconciled with the doctor's words and nodded his head in agreement. Dr. Goldstein smiled at him reassuringly and then turned to face Karen, "Are you Brooke's mother?", he questioned, having expected to meet at least a representative of Brooke's immediate family by that point.

"No… I'm Lucas' mother", Karen confusedly replied and then turned to face Keith, "Brooke's parents aren't here?", she asked in disbelief. Brooke had often shared with her how insecure she felt about her parents' love for her and told her stories about their lack of care for her, but Karen simply assumed that Brooke was just unaware of how much her parents truly cared for her. Now she was beginning to think that maybe the poor girl had been right all along.

"They're on a business trip. I've left both of them a number of messages since yesterday, but they haven't returned any of my calls yet", Keith explained to her. Karen shook her head, thinking about how irresponsible Brooke's parents must be, to leave their teenage daughter alone at her house, with no one supervising her, and not even be available on the phone. At the same time, she was slightly relieved though, now reassured that once Brooke's parents learned about their daughter's condition, they would surely rush to her side.

"Well… Once they do contact you, tell them to call me", Dr. Goldstein handed Keith a business card with his information, "I'd like to have a word with them", he said, clearly not pleased by the way Brooke's parents seemed to be neglecting their daughter.

"I certainly will, Doctor", Keith assured him, and Dr. Goldstein smiled, glad to see that despite her parents' absence, Brooke still had a dependable adult to look after her.

"Alright! Then I will see you tomorrow!", Dr. Goldstein concluded. He smiled at the people before him and left for his other duties.

"Come on… Let's go home", Karen instructed Lucas once Dr. Goldstein was gone. Keith awkwardly looked at the woman and boy he considered as his family, wishing he could join them, but no longer feeling as though he could naturally tag along.

"Well… Bye Karen, Luke…", Keith stiffly said, trying to hide his desire to join the two, and began walking away.

"Keith…", Karen's voice stopped Keith. He smiled to himself for a moment, and then turned to face her, "Why don't you join us for dinner?", Karen suggested, and Keith gladly accepted.

As the three made their way out of the hospital together, Lucas couldn't help but feel relieved that he had the support of both his mother and of Keith. While they ate dinner together, sitting quietly and dining like a true family, the homey feeling Lucas had been missing while his mother was gone finally came back to him. And only when Keith left and Lucas lay alone in his bed, unable to fall asleep, did he admit to himself that the whole evening, his mind had been drifting to Brooke and to his thoughts about how empty he felt without her by his side…

* * *

For the next week, Lucas regularly came over to the hospital right after school, accompanied by either Keith or his mother, and sometimes by both, and stay until the late evenings, when visiting hours were over. He would bring his homework over to Brooke's peaceful, quiet room, and complete it there, unable to concentrate anywhere else. As he worked, Lucas would lovingly explain to Brooke what he had learned in class that day and share stories from school with her, also sending her Nathan and Haley's daily regards, as they wanted to come and visit, but could only do so once Brooke would wake up and get better. Once Lucas was done, he would pull out the small present he brought her that day – a poem, a short story or a gossip magazine, and would patiently read to her, unfazed by Brooke's stillness, as he wholeheartedly believed that she could hear him.

As the week passed, Dr. Goldstein seemed more and more pleased with Brooke's condition, content with the progress she was making. During the last couple of days of that week, Dr. Goldstein reduced the strength of the sedatives he gave her, and Brooke once again occasionally made little sounds and slightly moved, much to Lucas' happiness. Lucas didn't mind sitting by Brooke's side when she was motionless and silent either, but her gentle attempts of communicating with Lucas reminded him of her vivacious, bubbly nature and gave him hope that he would soon get his cheery back.

It was a Friday morning when Dr. Goldstein phoned Lucas and gladly declared that on the next day, he was planning on completely taking Brooke off the narcotics she had been treated with, and gradually wake her up. Lucas was overjoyed by the wonderful news, and rushed to the hospital straight after school, bringing a dozen bouquets of flowers with him – one from Nathan and Haley, one from Brooke's cheerleading squad and the rest from him. He wanted Brooke to immediately feel how much people missed her when she would wake up.

Standing out of Brooke's room and looking through her window, Karen and Keith silently watched Lucas as he happily arranged the bouquets around Brooke's room. They two had spent plenty of time together since Karen had returned, with Keith coming over to help cheer Lucas up or just have a home-cooked meal together with them. The two were pleasantly reminded of past times that the two of them had shared, feeling again almost like a perfect family. To Keith's hesitant inquiries regarding Andy, Karen would give vague replies, but Keith sensed that something had gone wrong between the two, and that Karen was letting him into her life again, a suggested proposal which he gladly accepted, telling himself he was doing it for Lucas' sake, all the while knowing that he was truly doing it for himself.

Karen smiled sadly at her son's enthusiasm and hopefulness as she continued observing him fill Brooke's room with colorful flowers. She knew how much Lucas was waiting for the moment in which Brooke would open her eyes. She realized that Lucas innocently believed that once she would, everything would be alright again, and chose to silence her more mature and pessimistic gut feeling about the situation, as she didn't want to bring her son's spirits down. Karen could already tell that Brooke's physical recovery was far from over, not to mention her emotional recovery, but just hoped that with her support, Lucas would be able to be strong enough for his traumatized girlfriend. In addition, Keith had also shared one more thing with her, which she knew her son had to know but wouldn't be pleased to hear.

"You didn't tell him yet, did you?", Karen questioned Keith, her eyes still glued to her son's lively actions.

"No… Not yet…", Keith sighed, following Lucas with his eyes as well. He had meant to tell him a few times that week, but with Lucas' enthusiastic optimism, he couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Once Brooke wakes up, it won't take too long before he finds out…", Karen warned Keith.

"I know…", Keith sighed, "I'm going to tell him soon", he guaranteed, "Trust me- I want him to hear this from me and not from some stranger…".

* * *

**AN: O.K... Don't hate for the slight mystery in this ending... I really couldn't help myself. ;-) Next time Brooke will finally wake up, and we just might learn what Karen and Keith are so worried about telling Lucas... This is all for now! ;-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! First of all- thanks for your support! You guys are great! Your reviews really encourage me to keep on writing this! I hope that you will enjoy this chapter as well... ;-)**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 16**

"O.K…. Here we go!", Dr. Goldstein announced as he slowly and carefully disconnected Brooke from one of the tubes she was attached to. Lucas eyed his actions attentively, anxious to see Brooke's response to the lack of medicine her body had depended on for that past week.

Dr. Goldstein moved the now useless tube away from Brooke's bed and came back to Brooke, to examine her. Lucas nervously watched as the doctor checked Brooke's pulse and flashed light into her eyes, which he held open for his inspection, allowing them to close back when he was finished.

"Everything seems fine", Dr. Goldstein noticed Lucas' tensed expression and informed with a smile, "Brooke should be gradually waking up soon".

"When she wakes up, will she be moved to a general ward?", Lucas asked, eager to take Brooke's recovery several steps ahead instead of one at a time.

"Not yet, Lucas", Dr. Goldstein replied, "Brooke will still need to stay here for a while", Dr. Goldstein gently said.

"Why? Do you think there could be another complication with her situation?", Lucas instantly became worried.

"No… It's a safety measure we take in cases such as Brooke's in which the patient suffered complicated internal injuries. Just to be on the safe side, we will leave Brooke here for a while", Dr. Goldstein said. He momentarily glanced over at Karen and Keith, who knowingly nodded back at him, and then looked back at Lucas, who suddenly sensed there was something everyone else knew and wasn't telling him.

"A while? How long will that be?", Lucas looked from the doctor over to his mother and uncle and then back at the doctor, and noticed the awkward looks the three were sharing. Now he was certain something was going on, and wasn't going to rest until he found out exactly what that was.

"Considering the circumstances, it will be better for Brooke to stay here for now", Dr. Goldstein avoided Lucas' question and said, giving Keith a strange look. Lucas was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable with what was going on around him. Just moments earlier, he was excitedly waiting for his pretty girl to finally wake up, his mind free of cares and worries, and within moments things had gone upside-down, as he now felt uncertain about Brooke's condition, sensing that something was terribly wrong and it was hidden from him.

"What do you mean- 'considering the circumstances'? What circumstances?", Lucas burst out, "What's going on?".

"Lucas…", Dr. Goldstein's tone was soft and calming. He approached Lucas, but he was too upset to listen.

"No!", he cut Dr. Goldstein off, "Tell me what's wrong with Brooke!", Lucas demanded to know.

"I have been completely honest with you regarding Brooke's condition", Dr. Goldstein patiently said. He knew that Lucas' outburst was simply a result of Lucas' deep care for Brooke, and therefore didn't let it get to him.

"Then why are you…", Lucas' upset protest was cut off by Keith this time.

"Calm down, Lucas", Keith authoritatively said to him. Lucas was about to protest again, but something in the way Keith was looking at him silenced him up. Keith glanced over at Karen, who nodded to him, and then pulled Lucas over to the side of the room. "Listen Lucas… There's something I need to tell you", Keith looked deeply into Lucas' eyes. Lucas anxiously nodded, urging Keith to continue. "O.K….", Keith took a deep breath. He was about to begin his speech when all of those present suddenly heard Brooke let out a soft moan of pain. Lucas and Keith froze in their places, their bodies still facing each other, but their eyes now turned over to Brooke. They were torn between continuing their conversation and walking over to Brooke. When they saw her slightly stir, their conflict had instantly ended, and they rushed over to the girl's side, joining Karen and Dr. Goldstein. Lucas truly needed to know what Keith was about to tell him, but that could wait. Now Brooke needed him more.

The four of them lined up next to Brooke's bed, looking at her with anticipation. As Brooke flinched in pain, Lucas instinctively walked up to her bed, intending to take her hand, but Dr. Goldstein gently stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's give Brooke some space, alright?", Dr. Goldstein kindly requested, "She might be slightly confused and disoriented when she wakes up", he explained. Lucas nodded understandingly and stepped back, not wanting to startle Brooke. Dr. Goldstein encouragingly tapped Lucas' shoulder, admiring the boy's mature and attentively love towards Brooke. The two smiled at each other for a moment, the more experienced man wanting to share his support with the younger one, and then turned to look back at Brooke, who was gently shifting in her bed and uttering little pained moans.

"Brooke… Brooke, can you hear me?", Dr. Goldstein slightly approached Brooke as her eyelids began fluttering.

"_This is it!"_, Lucas thought to himself excitedly as he watched Brooke's eyelids flutter again, preparing to open. He shined a beaming smile over to his mother, who returned the gesture, glad to see her son having a happy moment in the middle of all the tough ones he had been going through. She knew that Lucas would be in for many more rough experiences once Brooke would wake up, but at the moment he was happy, and nothing could take that away from him.

Brooke slowly began opening her eyes. Her weak eyelids allowed her hazel eyes, which were slightly dull from her ongoing sleep, to appear momentarily, and then exhaustedly slid over them once more. The room was tensely silent as Brooke fought her weakness and tried to open her eyes all the way. Lucas eagerly studied Brooke, waiting to see a hint of the spark she always had in her eyes each time her eyes opened, but disappointed to find no trace of it at all. With each time, Brooke managed to open her eyes a little wider and for a bit longer, and each time Lucas was more heartbroken as he gradually came to an understanding that something had completely changed about the girl he loved. Several minutes later, Brooke managed to open her eyes all the way. Her eyes wandered around the room, moving from the ceiling over to the walls, on to the unfamiliar doctor who was smiling at her and finally landing on Lucas. Their eyes locked, and as much as Lucas wanted to say something, he simply couldn't. He felt his throat burning as he looked into the eyes of the girl he loved so much, and saw nothing in them. Brooke's eyes had no spark, no emotion, no mischievous twinkle – absolutely nothing. They were void- as though someone sucked her lively soul out of them.

"Brooke- can you hear me?", Dr. Goldstein tried again, looking at his patient with all his attention.

"Mmm…", Brooke tried to respond, but couldn't say anything due to the tube that was still inside her throat. Surprise and pain flashed through her eyes for a moment, as the fact registered to her, but as quickly as they came, they were gone, and her eyes were empty again.

"Don't try to speak, Brooke", Dr. Goldstein instructed her, "You're on a ventilator", he told her. Brooke moved her gaze over to Dr. Goldstein, who smiled at her reassuringly, "You're in the 'Riverview Hospital', Brooke. Do you remember what happened?", he gently asked. Brooke's blank eyes slipped away from him as she nodded. Lucas bit his lower lip, pained by the thought that Brooke might have been troubled by what Dan had done to her ever since she arrived at the hospital, pained simply because she remembered. He had mentally prepared himself for an uncontrollable outburst of emotion upon Brooke's awakening, but to see Brooke, his cheery, wake up and express nothing at all, was something Lucas could never prepare himself for. Lucas looked at Brooke, who was lying and staring emptily at the ceiling, and simply wanted to kill Dan. He wanted to hurt him for every little mark he made to Brooke's body, for every hurtful blow he gave her, for every single tear he made her cry, and simply for everything that damaged Brooke so much that she became the hollow-eyed girl he was looking at.

"Are you in any pain?", Dr. Goldstein questioned Brooke as he began examining her, and she shook her head, still focused on the ceiling. She felt so numb and disconnected from her own body that she didn't care to draw away from his large, unfamiliar hands that were examining her. Hands whose touch suddenly began to tingle her memory with reminders of the big, strong hands whose aggressive touch she pushed out of her mind. Brooke shifted uncomfortably in the bed, and managed to rid herself of the disturbing thoughts that invaded her blank, pain-free mind. She would just have to stay so disconnected from her body and soul that she wouldn't feel anything, and then everything would be O.K.. Everything would be as if what she had been through had never happened and she wouldn't have to deal with the unbearable pain that threatened to overpower her upon every little memory flash that momentarily ruined her peaceful emptiness.

"Alright then", Dr. Goldstein said rather satisfied as he finished checking Brooke, "You are getting better and better. If you keep this up, I may be able to take you off the ventilator tomorrow", he encouragingly told Brooke, who listened to him halfheartedly, not moving her gaze to look at him, "In the mean time try to rest and I will come to check on you later. If you need anything or feel any pain, tell the nurses to get me and I will immediately come", he said, half to Brooke and half to her caretakers. As Brooke remained still and distant, the three others nodded and Dr. Goldstein smiled and added, "Lucas, will you come with me for a moment?", he asked. Lucas nodded and immediately followed the doctor out.

"I've noticed you were taken aback by Brooke's behavior since she woke up", Dr. Goldstein revealed his observation to Lucas.

"If you knew Brooke, you would understand why. It's as if it's a totally different person lying on that bed", Lucas worriedly shared with Dr. Goldstein the reason for his rising concerns.

"Let me assure you that her behavior is completely normal and very common for a person in her condition. The trauma she had been through wasn't only physical, but emotional as well, and a defense mechanism people in this condition often develop is emotional detachment", Dr. Goldstein tried to soothe and explain.

"So she's gonna stay like this forever?!", not only did Lucas not calm down, but he was getting even more worried and upset.

"No, but it may take time for her to agree to face her feelings and emotions, and you will need to be patient with her. Don't push her into talking about what happened until she's ready, and don't be too physical with her unless she initiates it. Just help her feel safe and secure, and you'll see that she will eventually come back to you", Dr. Goldstein gave Lucas the new guidelines for his behavior around Brooke.

"Thank you, doctor", Lucas was grateful for Dr. Goldstein's support and guidance through the whole ordeal.

"No problem", Dr. Goldstein gave Lucas a friendly wink and left as Lucas headed back to Brooke's room.

Lucas sighed as he stepped into the awkwardly quiet room and saw Keith and Karen sitting by Brooke's bedside and helplessly looking at Brooke, contemplating what to do, as Brooke distantly stared into space. Lucas bit his lower lip and frowned as he engaged in thought. He had to get through to Brooke, he just had to figure out how. Finally, as no other idea entered his mind, he walked up to Brooke's bed.

"Hey Brooke… I'm glad to have you back, baby", he quietly told her, looking at her intensely as her eyes still emptily looked up at the ceiling. Lucas felt a bang of pain in his heart, as Brooke would never ignore him like that when he talked to her, but refused to allow himself to feel discouraged. He therefore cleared his throat and continued, "I don't know if you could hear me, but I've been here during the past few days and I'd sit here and read to you", Lucas told her. Brooke's gaze finally slowly moved over to Lucas and locked on him, her eyes still looking hollow, but she seemed to be listening, so Lucas continued, "I thought that if you don't mind, I'd read to you a little right now…", Lucas looked at her hopefully. A mixture of emotions flashed in Brooke's eyes and she quickly turned her head towards the wall that was in the opposite direction from Lucas. She felt as though she was suffocating. All sorts of emotions that Brooke pushed down were beginning to surface as she looked at Lucas' loving eyes, and she simply couldn't allow herself to be swept away by them. If she would then everything she was trying to deny that ever happened would suddenly become real, and she couldn't deal with that at the moment. Brooke felt a small wave of guilt wash her over as she heard Lucas sigh disappointedly by her side. She didn't want to hurt him by pushing him away, but only protected by the four invisible walls she had built around herself did she feel safe. She just couldn't break them down yet.

"Why don't we all read together?", Karen suddenly suggested. She had observed Brooke's apparent struggle, and thought that the girl might feel more comfortable with their presence if all eyes weren't on her, forcing her to respond. "What have you got there?", Karen questioned Lucas, who picked up a small stack from Brooke's bedside, slightly encouraged by his mother's interference.

"A book of short stories, some poetry books and a gossip magazine", Lucas browsed through the stack and then turned to Brooke, "Any preferences?", he asked her, hoping that she would at least turn around and face him, but she didn't even budge.

"How about the gossip magazine", Karen quickly responded instead of Brooke, intentionally picking what she knew would have been Brooke's choice, figuring she might enjoy listening even if she wouldn't show it, and realizing that all four of them could use the entertaining distraction that the magazine could provide them after the long day they all had.

Settling at Brooke's bedside, next to his mother, Lucas opened the magazine and began pointing out different articles that caught his attention. Soon the room was filled with laughter as Karen and Keith engaged in the activity as well, making fun of ridiculous clothes worn by different celebrities or expressing their amusement from how much the tabloid had managed to pry into these people's personal lives.

Lucas was really getting into the conversation when he noticed Brooke slowly turning her head back to face them and relaxing her arm against the bed in a way that it now lightly grazed his hand, which had been resting on the bed. He gently began rubbing his thumb against her palm, feeling her tense up against his touch. He looked up at her face, only to be met with her blank eyes staring at the magazine carelessly. Lucas was about to pull his hand away from Brooke, discouraged, when he felt Brooke's small hand relax against his touch. Even though it could have been a meaningless result of Brooke's weakness and exhaustion, Lucas' hopes were completely fueled up again as he continued gently stroking Brooke's little hand. For him it was the first step towards finally getting his pretty girl back.

Brooke continued half-listening to Lucas, Keith and Karen's good-spirited conversation about the gossip magazine. She wished she could take part in the family-like activity they were offering to let her into, but the more attentive she became, the faster her heart began beating and the more emotions she felt herself sinking into. Brooke quickly detached herself from them, clearing her mind of all emotion and thought. Lucas' gentle touch was the only thing keeping her semi-connected to the people before her, and for some strange reason, it didn't make her feel distressed or panicked, it actually made her feel nice and calm. It actually made her believe that eventually, things might be O.K. again…

* * *

After several hours of joyful conversation and unanswered pleas to Brooke that she would get some rest, Dr. Goldstein came back to Brooke's room, only to find her staring into space with glassy eyes, with Lucas still rubbing comforting circles on her palm. Dr. Goldstein insisted that the three visitors would leave the room for a while, so he could give Brooke something that will help her fall asleep without her being distracted. Lucas reluctantly let go of Brooke's hand and left her lying there limply, almost tearing up as he noted how lost and helpless she seemed. Once they were outside, Lucas, Karen and Keith let out a simultaneous sigh and smiled at each other upon the mutual exhaustion and heavy-hearted feeling they had just realized that they shared.

"Do you two want to grab a bite?", Keith offered, wanting to take advantage of the time they had until they would be allowed back into Brooke's room. Karen was about to agree when Lucas spoke up.

"No. I want to know what you were going to tell me before Brooke woke up", Lucas demanded. He hadn't forgotten about it at all, he simply pushed the matter aside and put Brooke ahead of it, but now that she wasn't there, he needed to know.

"Alright", Keith raised his hands in defeat, realizing there was no running away from the matter, as Lucas would sooner or later find out. He pulled Lucas aside and sat him on a bench next to him. "Listen, Luke, the reason Brooke will be kept in the ICU for longer than usual doesn't have to do with her condition", Keith said.

"What do you mean?", Lucas confusedly burst into his uncle's speech, eager to understand what was going on.

"She would have probably needed intensive care for a few more days, but she won't be moved into the general ward for a while for security reasons", Keith continued, slowly getting to the news he knew would upset Lucas.

"Security reasons? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!", Lucas asked in bewilderment, realizing that things were much more complicated than he thought. Keith looked him deeply in the eye, and when he finally opened his mouth to speak, his response, which made Lucas' eyes darken and caused his heart to beat louder and louder, consisted only of one word-

"Dan…".

* * *

**AN: I know I pretty much said you were going to find out what Keith is hiding, but you half-did, and this was just the best place to end this chapter, so my apologies... You have official permission to hate me... ;-) Next chapter will start with the rest of the revelation, so don't hate me too much!! ;-)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, sorry about the long wait... I just had a lot going on in my life since my last update... As always- thank you for your support- for those of you who are reading this, and of course- for whoever kindly tells me what they think! Love you all! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 17**

"Dan?!", Lucas stuttered as he felt the blood freezing over in his veins, "Isn't he in jail?", Lucas tensely inquired, realizing that his assumption regarding Dan's whereabouts must have been wrong.

"Not exactly…", Keith replied rather uncomfortably as he looked deeply into Lucas' eyes, concerned of his reaction to the news he bore.

"Then where is he?!", Lucas asked with extreme nervousness, "Did he escape?", Lucas suddenly questioned, consumed with horror.

"No…", Keith slowly replied, stretching his reply as he contemplated how to break the news to Lucas.

"Don't tell me they set him free…", Lucas pleaded in rage, the mere thought of the unjustified possibility filling his body with waves of anger he was barely able to contain. He stared at Keith, his eyes practically begging him to tell him that this was not the case.

"No, Luke, the cops didn't let him go…", Keith sighed, realizing that he would never get to tell Lucas what was really going on if he would have to keep patiently dodging Lucas' questions off.

"Then what?! What aren't you telling me, Keith?", Lucas desperately begged to know, exhausted by the entire situation.

"The reason that Brooke will remain in the ICU for the mean while is that Dan is in the general ward", Keith realized that he had to get to his point quickly if he wanted to tell Lucas the news anytime soon, and therefore directly laid out all his cards in front of him. Lucas' face froze and his mouth opened up in shock. He stood there in silence for a few moments, trying to grasp what his uncle had just told him.

"In this hospital?", Lucas finally asked, still very evidently in shock. He just couldn't believe that he had spent the past week under the same roof as the monster that had hurt his pretty girl.

"Yes…", Keith simply confirmed, allowing Lucas to finally realize that all this time, one story was the only thing separating between Brooke and the man who was responsible for her poor condition.

"Why the hell aren't they moving him to a different hospital?", Lucas asked in a raised voice, upset by how close Dan had been to Brooke all along. Just now he comprehended that all the cops that were constantly guarding the entrance to the ICU must have been positioned there in order to ensure Brooke's safety, but even so, Lucas felt extremely uncomfortable by the lack of distance between his girlfriend and his evil father.

"The hospital has a strict policy to never release a patient before his complete recovery, and to never transfer a patient into a different medical institution unless he personally requests so or if it ensures he will get better treatment. This is one of the best hospitals in the area and Dan obviously has no intention to leave it until he fully recovers from his gun wounds, seeing as once he heals, he will probably be immediately sent to jail", Keith thoroughly explained everything Lucas needed to know.

"God, I can't believe this!", Lucas exclaimed, outraged that while his pretty girl was desperately fighting to get better, the man who he wanted to kill for causing her all that pain was literally under his nose. Lucas grabbed his head in frustration and anger, and suddenly his eyes widened as an idea popped into his head. He turned to Keith and quickly asked him, "Keith, where exactly is Dan?".

"One floor below us in room 319", Keith answered without thinking and then questioned, "Why do you ask?", Lucas didn't even let him finish his sentence when he began walking away from Keith, and only then did Keith realize what he was about to do.

"Lucas!… Lucas!!", Keith began racing after his nephew, who was speedily making his way towards the flight of stairs that could lead him to the third floor, where the general ward was located.

"Lucas, stop!", Karen joined Keith in the race after Lucas and pleaded with him, knowing that Dan's presence would probably only upset Lucas even more.

As he grew short of breath and realized that Lucas was growing farther and farther away from him and Karen, Keith inwardly cursed himself for foolishly giving Lucas Dan's room number. He knew that if Lucas would manage to reach Dan's room before he could catch up to him, things would turn out very badly.

"Lucas, get back here!", Keith demanded, but Lucas only kept speeding up, until Keith could no longer see him. As he finally reached the third floor, Keith stopped in his place, out of breath and frustrated to no extent. "Damn it!", he exclaimed, realizing that the encounter between Lucas and Dan, which he had been trying to prevent, was now inevitable.

"Come on", Karen, who had at last caught up with Keith, quietly said to him, "We'd better get him away from Dan", even though her tone seemed calm, Keith knew that Karen was concerned but was too full of grace to show it to him.

"I tried to prevent this…", Keith apologized, suddenly consumed with extreme guilt. He looked at Karen with sorrowful eyes, begging for forgiveness.

"I know", she said, simply and softly, offering him a small sad smile. He slightly smiled back and put a supporting hand on Karen's back as the two of them made their way over to Dan's room, which Lucas had just reached.

"What did you do?", Lucas muttered angrily under his breath as he saw Dan through his room's window. The room was guarded by two officers, but the sight of his father lying contently on his bed angered Lucas so much that they became invisible to him. He pushed through them, determined to reach his father and make him regret the hurt that he inflicted upon Brooke.

"What did you do?!", Lucas repeated as he barged into the room. The two cops immediately followed him inside and grabbed his arms on the intention of pulling him out of the room, but Lucas fought them, not intending to leave the room until he would hurt Dan for what he had done.

"Well, if it isn't my treacherous son…", Dan smirked and greeted Lucas with artificial enthusiasm. It was clear that he was enjoying the effect his actions were having on Lucas. As the two cops loosened their grip on Lucas upon learning that he was Dan's son, Lucas slipped away from them and aggressively approached Dan.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!", Lucas shook Dan violently, as though he was in a trance. All of his anger, which built up inside of him that entire week as he sat at Brooke's bedside and watched her suffer through her unconscious state or wake up to be a shadow of herself, was now coming out. He wanted to punish the man who had dared to harm his pretty girl.

"Alright… Break it up…", the cops regained control of the situation. They pulled Lucas away from Dan and held him down as he struggled against them, trying to reach Dan again.

"Calm down, son", one of the cops requested from Lucas, attempting to balance the professional authoritative tone he had to maintain with the natural compassion he couldn't help but feel towards the boy he was holding down. He too felt disgusted by the awful actions of the man whose room he had been guarding during the past week.

"How the hell could you do that to her?!", Lucas continued struggling against the officers as he shouted at Dan, "She never did anything to you…", Lucas yelled at Dan, his voice filled with pain, venom and anger.

"She turned me in! She deserved to be punished", Dan lost his composure for a moment, his serenity tainted by specks of fury.

"Do you even realize what you did?! You took a girl that was completely helpless against you and you…", Lucas struggled to finish his sentence, both because of the horrifying visualization of Dan's actions which invaded his mind, and also due to the fact that Dan cut into his speech.

"Oh, I wouldn't call her helpless…", Dan's inner smirk had once again taken over his speech. When he saw the anger building up on Lucas' face, his outer smirk returned as well and he added, "She sure gave me a decent fight…".

"What fight are you talking about?! Brooke has a fractured rib and was internally bleeding in her stomach. Even without these injuries she's powerless against you!", Lucas exclaimed.

"You are underestimating your little girlfriend, Lucas", Dan calmly said with a wide smile. He knew that this would get under Lucas' skin and it definitely did. Lucas, who had been remaining still, immediately tried to reach him again, wanting to let everything out on him.

"She's just a girl, Dan! Why don't you be a man and go against someone your own size!", Lucas hollered at him. He managed to break loose of the officers' grip again, and shot over to Dan's bed. He was just about to smack Dan across the face when Keith and Karen raced into the room. Keith grabbed Lucas seconds before his hand was about to collide with Dan's face, and pulled him away.

"Let me go!", Lucas demanded. After all the violence Brooke was forced to endure, Dan deserved to receive at least some back in return.

"He's not worth it", Keith whispered to Lucas, "He is NOT worth it, Luke", Keith repeated, and Lucas finally stopped fighting to get to Dan. Keith kept holding onto him as Lucas seemed to struggle against his anger, until his tense body finally relaxed and his racing breathing calmed down slightly.

"You're right", Lucas quietly and coldly said, staring at Dan with a glare that was as sharp as a knife's blade. Keith slowly let go of Lucas' shoulders, and Lucas took two steps towards Dan and stopped, his eyes burning Dan with his intense stare, "You're not worth it. You're actually worth nothing to me", Lucas hissed.

"That's alright", Dan said with a fake smile, "Because you were _never_ worth _anything_ to me, Lucas", Dan said through clenched teeth. "In my whole life, my entire family consisted only of _one_ legitimate wife", Dan said, taking his eyes off of Lucas briefly to give Karen an evil glare before he continued, "and _one_ legitimate son. You were never my son, Lucas, and you never will be", Dan concluded his speech and smiled smugly. Lucas just looked at him. He wanted to hurt and insult him, but he simply didn't know what to say. Suddenly he heard a voice from behind him speak instead of him.

"That's where you're wrong, _dad_", Lucas turned to see Nathan staring at Dan intently. Even though Nathan wasn't lunging at Dan like Lucas did, the look in his eyes expressed just as much anger. "You now officially have no sons. After what you did, I want nothing to do with you", Nathan said, effectively expressing his disgust and repulsion towards his father without even raising his voice.

"Nathan…", Dan's eyes slightly widened as Nathan's sincerity registered to him.

"You could have _killed_ me… You _raped_ Brooke…", Nathan angrily squinted his eyes as he shamed his father, "How did you expect me to react?", He honestly asked Dan, though he did not expect an answer. Dan remained silent, unable to respond to his son. The two just stared at each other for a few moments, their eyes' intensity filling up the distance between them and making words unnecessary to be spoken. Nathan finally took a deep breath and said, "I'm done here". He turned around and walked out of the room, and was shortly followed by Karen, Keith, Lucas, and the two cops that had been silently listening to the deep family argument that entire time. Just before he left the room, Lucas turned back to glare at Dan.

"You're on your own now", Lucas told him with scorn and walked away, leaving Dan to lie alone in his room and think about everything he had done.

"Are you O.K.?", Nathan immediately asked Lucas when he came out of Dan's room. Lucas heavy-heartedly sighed and nodded, feeling all of the bad energy, which had consumed him while he was in Dan's room, gradually leaving him.

"You?", Lucas asked back, realizing that the intense encounter must have been tough for his brother as well.

"Yeah…", Nathan distractedly replied, very evidently still calming himself down from the anger that had filled him up upon seeing his father for the first time since he was nearly shot by him.

"What are you doing here, Nate?", Lucas asked him, just now taking his mind off of Dan and truly moving over to acknowledge his brother.

"I had a check-up on my shoulder and I thought I might also go to see how Brooke is doing", Nathan replied, "I was about to go up to Brooke's floor when I saw you guys running across the hallway, and I just had to know what was going on".

"I think we can actually go back to see her already", Karen interrupted the two brothers' dialogue, wanting to take their minds off of their upsetting encounter with their father.

"Let's go", Lucas agreed, and the four of them made their way to the ICU. Just as they reached Brooke's room, Dr. Goldstein came out, and smiled upon seeing them.

"Can we go back inside?", Lucas hopefully asked.

"Yes, just don't try to wake Brooke up. She needs to get her rest", Dr. Goldstein instructed them, and after all four people before him nodded understandingly, Dr. Goldstein moved out of the way to allow them into Brooke's room.

Nathan gasped at the sight before him. He had been hoping to see Brooke's immaculate face relax in a worriless sleep, and instead, he found colorful bruises along with one large bandage covering Brooke's beautiful features.

"Oh my god…", Nathan whispered as he struggled to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat, "Luke, I thought you said she was getting better…".

"She is…", Lucas replied as he walked over to Brooke's bed and gently took her hand. He knew that in her sleep she wouldn't mind his touch, and might actually be comforted by it, "Right, baby?", he gently stroked her palm.

"It will take time before Brooke is back to herself, Nathan", Keith put a supporting hand on his nephew's shoulder, realizing that the boy was pretty shaken up by the sight of his close friend in such bad shape. Sure, he had seen her looking even worse several days earlier, when he carried her out of the cabin's bedroom, but with all the drama surrounding him, things seemed to be a blur for him and only now he properly looked at Brooke and saw how badly she was harmed. He had definitely been hoping that the week that Brooke had spent in the hospital had improved her condition much more, and was pretty devastated to learn that he was mistaken.

"Yeah…", Nathan distantly said, his eyes fixated on Brooke, "I'm just glad I told Haley not to come with me tonight… She would have been crushed to see Brooke like this", Nathan mumbled, knowing that Haley would have been badly effected by the sight of her bubbly friend looking so helpless and damaged.

"Well, she's getting back to herself, one step at a time… We just have to help her out", Karen softly comforted, wanting to help ease Nathan's shock. Nathan knowingly nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence, the four healthy people lovingly looking at the sleeping porcelain girl for whose convalescence they were all praying.

"It's alright, babe, we're all here, and we will never let anything hurt you again", Lucas soothingly whispered to Brooke, who was flinching in her sleep. He gently squeezed her hand, trying to express his support, and smiled when he saw Brooke's face ease its tension. It was as though she could sense their presence. It was as though she knew Dan no longer played a role in any of their lives. It was as though, even if merely for moments, she felt safe again.

* * *

**AN:** **So here's yet another cliffhanger-free ending for all of you, just don't get used to it... ;-) I hope you enjoyed this, and promise the drama is not over yet, even though things are slowing down a bit. ;-) This is all until next time!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! I'm back with another new chapter! I forgot to tell all of you about the one-shot that I recently posted (even though some of you might have read it, as I did post it about three weeks ago). It is not a Brucas one-shot (I don't want any people disappointed, so I had to warn you...), and even though I'm 100 percent pro-Brucas, I was inspired to write it, so for those of you who haven't read it yet and who like Brooke even without Lucas, I would love for you to read it and tell me what you think! Anyway, I hope you will all like this new chapter! Enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 18**

Lucas raised his head from the bed upon which he had been resting it throughout the night. As he looked up and saw the small hand that he had been holding all night still buried in his larger palm, a smile formed upon his face. Late that night, after he convinced Keith, Karen and Nathan to leave and get some rest, he had been looking carefully at Brooke. She was extremely peaceful, other than an occasional wince or moan he managed to soothe with a gentle squeeze of the hand or softly spoken words. Lucas couldn't help but feel how easy it was for him to help Brooke out when her medications numbed her to sleep, in comparison to his awkward and so-far failing attempts to reach out to her when she was up and alert. It felt so natural for Lucas to hold Brooke's hand like that, and he couldn't help but feel sorrowful as his eyelids closed over his eyes that night upon the realization that in the morning, he would be forced to leave that warm, soft hand, and give his fractured girlfriend the space she seemed to be needing. Lucas was therefore extremely glad that morning came, but he wasn't compelled to part with Brooke's touch yet.

Lucas was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Brooke's eyes flutter open after several minutes. She silently looked at him brood for a while, and only when her fingers gently danced in his hand did he raise his eyes and meet her faded hazel orbs.

"Good morning", Lucas smiled and greeted her. Even though it pained him to see the lack of emotion in Brooke's eyes, Lucas reminded himself to be patient, and managed to keep up a happy face for her sake. He gently squeezed Brooke's hand, causing Brooke to shift her gaze over to their intertwined fingers. She briefly looked back up at Lucas with blank eyes, and then let them emptily fall into space before she turned away from Lucas and stared at the wall opposite from him. Lucas wanted to scream and slam his fist into the wall with frustration, but simply let out an aggravated sigh. He couldn't be angry at Brooke for being like this after what she had been through, but he couldn't help but be slightly upset that Brooke was laying next to him, but it was as if she wasn't really there, and he didn't know what to do in order to bring her back to him. Lucas just hoped that once Brooke would be off the ventilator and able to talk again, thing would get better…

* * *

"Hey, look at you!", Lucas smiled widely as he returned into Brooke's room with Karen and Keith after they had convinced him to eat something while Brooke was being examined.

"Someone's getting better", Dr. Goldstein confirmed, gesturing to the ventilator that no longer occupied Brooke's throat, and simply lay in the corner of the room.

"This is great!", Lucas was so thrilled, he wanted to hug Brooke, but managed to restrain himself. He managed to do with smiling excitedly at those surrounding him and then looking at Brooke lovingly. He was beyond glad to see that from the clutter of tubes, which covered Brooke when she first arrived at the hospital, only two were still connected to her body, providing her with nutrition and liquids. Now that the body, which he had held in his arms so many times, was being revealed to him again, all he could ask for was for Brooke's bubbly spirit to resurface from the emotional wreckage it had been buried in.

As Karen and Keith stepped out of the room to have a few words with Dr. Goldstein, Lucas took a seat by Brooke's bed and stared at her awkwardly. There were many things he wanted to say to her, but he didn't know what would be the right way to start the conversation with the lost girl, who was staring into space next to him. Lucas' contemplation came to an abrupt end when Brooke suddenly flinched in pain.

"Are you alright?", Lucas questioned her worriedly. He looked at Brooke with concern as she kept her eyes squeezed shut and didn't reply.

"Brooke, are you in pain? Should I call the doctor back?", Lucas urgently asked. Brooke slightly shook her head and after a moment, slowly reopened her eyes. It was extremely obvious that she was suffering from her injuries, but Lucas decided to honor her wish and to enjoy the time he had alone with her, while keeping a watchful eye on her.

"Nathan was here yesterday. He wanted me to tell you how much he and Haley miss you", Lucas decided to change the subject and try to distract Brooke's mind from her pain. Brooke just blinked and gently shrugged. Lucas' tactic wasn't really working. Lucas quietly sighed, but wasn't going to be discouraged that easily.

"You know that Dr. Goldstein says that in a few days you might be able to get up and walk a little", Lucas tried to encourage Brooke, but all she did was momentarily glance at him and then return her blank eyes to the spot in space they were staring at before. "When you do, you're gonna have to see the view. There's a river right out your window", Lucas smiled and said to her softly. In response he got nothing. Brooke did nothing to even acknowledge that she heard Lucas. Lucas bit his lower lip and stared at Brooke as he thought. Brooke was right next to him, yet it felt as though she was a million miles away. There had to be some way to get through to her, to help her find her way back to him. Lucas just had to slowly track down the beginning of that path.

As Brooke slightly shivered, Lucas rose to his feet and pulled over a bag of things he packed and brought over from Brooke's house. Brooke watched Lucas as he opened the bag, causing Lucas to smile triumphantly at Brooke's relative show of interest.

"I thought you might need some things from your house", Lucas explained. He pulled out a jacket from the bag and approached Brooke in order to help her into it, but as Lucas came close to her, Brooke cringed and shrugged away from his reach.

"All I want is to help you put this jacket on", Lucas paused, seeing how uncomfortably Brooke was, and tried to soothe her and reason with her, "I just don't want you to be cold, pretty girl".

"You can't call me that anymore", Brooke finally spoke, but what she had to say most certainly wasn't what Lucas wanted to hear. Her voice, a dry whisper, hollow and clear from emotions just like her eyes, echoed in Lucas' ears as he stared at her with hurt in his eyes. Lucas felt as though Brooke was telling him to keep away from her, and as a pang of guilt hit his chest, Lucas knew he couldn't blame her. This was _his_ plan that got Brooke in trouble, this was _his_ father who had done all those horrible things to her, and it was _he_ who vowed to protect her and didn't come through in her time of need.

"Brooke…", Lucas wanted to apologize, but didn't know what words could make up for what his poor girlfriend was forced to go through. He sat on the edge of her bed, respecting her discomfort with contact hence not touching her and tried to find words to beg for forgiveness, but suddenly noticed that Brooke didn't seem to be repulsed by him. She didn't look mad, she simply looked lost, lying helplessly on the hospital bed and looking down at her hands. Lucas' eyes softened as Brooke's sole statement suddenly acquired a new meaning.

"Brooke, you do know you're still beautiful, right?", he carefully asked, his eyes reflecting all the honesty in the world. Truthfully, when Lucas looked at Brooke, it wasn't the bruises or the bandages that he saw, but her remarkable beauty, which never failed to amaze him. At that moment, when Lucas studied the helpless girl before him, he realized he needed to make her believe in that beauty again, "Baby, you are always beautiful to me…", Lucas gently rested his hand on Brooke's knee, trying to make his words sink in, "You will never stop being my pretty girl", Lucas smiled at Brooke and gave her knee a soft squeeze, but to his dismay, she winced again as he mentioned her nickname.

"Brooke?", Lucas looked at her with concern, his eyes pleading with her that she would share with him what was truly burdening her heart, but she kept her eyes squeezed shut and didn't reply. Lucas began tracing small circles around Brooke's knee, and even though she was tensing under his touch, Brooke seemed to be slowly getting a grip over herself. Brooke took a deep breath, pushing down the emotions that almost overpowered her as she heard the nickname she once loved, and opened her eyes. She silently looked at Lucas for a long time before she spoke.

"I can't hear that name anymore…", Brooke simply said, but as she continued, Lucas heard her struggling against her emotions yet again, "He took that away from me…", she said, and suddenly Lucas' stomach sunk as he remembered that horrible, sickening phone call he was forced to listen to, and the awful sound of Dan's voice calling Brooke a "pretty girl" as she cried and begged to be left alone.

Lucas looked at Brooke, ashamed and heartbroken, and truly wanted to be able to say something that would make things better. Something that would ease her now uneasily-taken breaths and agitated expression. All he could come up with in the end was a choked-up "I'm sorry"…

* * *

"Brooke, sweetheart…", Karen returned to Brooke's room with a pot that night after she left to check on the café. She felt uneasy throwing all the responsibilities on Deb, and even though Deb, mortified both by what her husband had done and by the fact that despite Brooke's condition, her parents didn't even call yet, had insisted that Karen would stay by the poor teenager's side, Karen felt obligated to at least check on her and make sure she was handling everything on her own.

"Is everything alright at the café?", Keith asked Karen, seeing as Brooke remained spaced out, staring at the wall and not responding to Karen.

"Everything's fine", Karen glanced at Keith shortly and shot him a quick smile before turning her attention back to Brooke. Even though she was constantly encouraging Lucas about Brooke, Karen was growing concerned regarding the extent of her emotional injuries. Karen realized it had only been two days since Brooke had woken up, but as she looked into the girl's eyes, Brooke just seemed like a lost soul to her.

"Brooke, honey, I brought you some soup from the café", with the help of Keith, Karen lifted the pot to a table at the corner of Brooke's room, and then came to sit by her side on the bed. "I though you might like it better than the hospital food. I heard you haven't eaten a thing all day…", Karen gently put a hand on Brooke's back, and despite sensing Brooke's body stiffen under her touch, began patting her softly, applying the same motherly touch she would have applied if it was Lucas.

Brooke shifted uncomfortably on her bed and closed her eyes tightly. With the amount of care Karen, Lucas and Keith were showing her, it was becoming harder and harder for her to avoid her emotions. She felt her tears beginning to burn her throat as she realized that her own mother had never treated her with as much affection as Karen was expressing towards her at that moment, and let out a shaky breath in order to push her emotions back down.

"Brooke, please…", Brooke heard Lucas come up to her and beg, "You need to get stronger so they'll let you out of this hospital, baby", he reasoned with her, knowing her true discomfort with hospitals. Brooke stayed in her place for several moments, regaining some of the numbness of her emotions, and then opened her eyes and tried to rise to a sitting position. Seeing her flinch in pain, Karen and Lucas gently pulled her up from either side while Keith adjusted the bed into a sitting position. Lucas and Karen rested Brooke's weak body against the bed again, and while Keith pulled over the bedside table, Karen brought Brooke a warm bowl of vegetable soup. Seeing Brooke's shaking, frail hands, Lucas quickly took hold of the bowl and handed her the spoon.

"Do you like it?", Karen asked Brooke after she took a few spoonfuls into her mouth. Lucas looked at Brooke proudly as she nodded and continued to eat, but when she lifted her face and looked at everyone's beaming faces with tears in her eyes, he quickly frowned.

"What's the matter?", Lucas asked with concern. Brooke just shook her head and looked away, her trembling hands trying to fit spoonfuls into her mouth as her eyes sent silent tears down her cheeks.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?", Karen gently asked, "You don't have to eat this right now if you can't or don't feel like it", Karen told her honestly. Brooke lifted her eyes shamefully to meet Karen's eyes, and for the first time since she had woken up, they were not glassy, but flooded with emotion. Her pain, her confusion and the endless care she was receiving got to Brooke and she could no longer control her tears or pretend that she wasn't falling apart. "It's O.K.", Karen smiled reassuringly and put a hand on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke set the spoon in the bowl and sank back into the bed, clear tears escaping through her closed eyes. "It's O.K.", Karen repeated, gently stroking Brooke's back. She was no longer talking about the uneaten soup.

They stayed that way for a while; Karen trying to soothe the confused, traumatized Brooke, whose silent tears continued wetting her cheeks, while Lucas and Keith looked at the two, not knowing what to say or do in order to help out. When Dr. Goldstein finally came for that night's checkup, that was the position he found all four. As he turned their attention to the fact that visiting hours were over and only one of them could remain in the room, Karen insisted that it was her turn to stay and that Lucas would be able to come back the next day after school. Lucas didn't dare to argue as he saw how calm Brooke had become under his mother's influence. He bid Karen, Brooke and Dr. Goldstein goodbye and left the room with Keith, the bittersweet feeling of witnessing Brooke finally express some emotion lingering in his body. He was truly grateful to see Brooke's blank eyes fill with some kind of emotion. However, he would have given everything he had if he could have only replaced that emotion with happiness…

* * *

"What's on your mind?", Keith asked Lucas as the two of them made their way to the hospital's parking lot, where Keith's car awaited them.

"Brooke…", Lucas replied and Keith smiled, having expected his nephew's answer. "I just hope that eventually she can get past this, you know?", Lucas shared his thoughts with Keith.

"She will, Luke. We just have to help her out", Keith encouraged Lucas. He kept repeating his supportive words, but he could truly understand Lucas' need to hear them over and over again considering Brooke's state.

"I'm trying my best, but I feel like she's pushing me away…", Lucas said, trying to conceal the hurt in his voice, "Maybe she doesn't want my help…", Lucas half said and half thought out loud.

"That's not true", Keith frowned, "You can't be personally offended by Brooke's actions right now, Lucas. She is dealing with so much right now that you shouldn't hold her behavior against her", Keith told Lucas, who immediately felt bad for what he had said.

"I guess you're right", Lucas agreed. As the two of the stepped outside into the cool night's air, Lucas shivered, and instantly remembered that he had forgotten his hoodie in Brooke's room.

"Come on… Let's go back up and grab your sweater", the realization of the situation had dawned upon Keith at the exact same time. The two of them quickly and quietly walked back into the ICU. Lucas was about to open Brooke's door and sneak in when Keith held him back and stopped him. Lucas looked up at Keith questioningly and saw him look through Brooke's window with a smile.

"Look…", Keith instructed him. Lucas followed Keith's gaze and when his eyes met Brooke, a wide smile formed on Lucas' lips as well. Brooke was finally peacefully sleeping, comfortably tucked under her warm blankets. Her angelic features were enough to make Lucas' heart warm up, but the real reason for his smile was not her calm rest. Brooke was holding Lucas' hoodie in her arms, hugging it tightly to her chest and breathing in its scent in her sleep. The bag full of her own things, which Lucas had brought from her house, lay right next to her, yet the one item Brooke truly seemed to need and to take comfort in belonged to Lucas.

"You see, Luke… Brooke wants you around", Keith told him with a smile as his gaze rested on Brooke for a little longer.

"You're right", Lucas agreed once again, yet this time, he wholeheartedly believed in it, and as he returned outside without his hoodie, despite the freezing air, Lucas didn't feel cold anymore…

* * *

**AN: That's all for this time. As always- I would love to hear what all of you think. And remember- there's still drama up ahead, so bear with me with these calmer chapters! ;-)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi guys! Here's another chapter- fresh from the oven! ;-) Expect a lot of Brucas interaction (finally... I truly needed to get to it already...) and some drama in this chapter (you guys know me by now, it's inevitable...)! So- enjoy and please share your thought with me!**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 19**

Lucas had always hated Mondays. Monday was always the day in which Lucas finally adjusted to sleeping late, and had to drag himself out of bed for yet another long week. Monday was always the day in which Whitey would be extra demanding at practice, and make the team run so much that Lucas would be gasping for air by the end of the practice. And Monday was the day in which the school day seemed to last forever, and the minutes seemed to pass as slowly as hours. On that particular Monday, Lucas was especially impatient. It seemed to him like every time he looked at his watch, it would show almost the same hour, which wasn't far from being true, as he glanced at it every ten seconds.

For the entire day, Lucas was anxiously waiting for the school day to end, so he could finally return to the hospital, to his baby. It was the first time he left Brooke's side for longer than a checkup since she woke up, and Lucas was nervous to get back to Brooke and make sure she was fine. Therefore, once the bell finally rang and dismissed the students, Lucas raced to his car and hurriedly drove to the hospital.

Once arriving at the hospital, Lucas found Keith walking up to Brooke's room, having arrived there moments before Lucas. He quickly caught up with him and the two then walked together, almost arriving at Brooke's room when they saw Karen creep out of it quietly and secure the door silently behind her.

"Mom!", Lucas called out to his mother and quickly approached her. Karen put a finger to her lips, hushing Lucas, and stepped away from Brooke's door.

"Brooke's finally getting some rest…", she explained her behavior in a muted tone, "Let's go talk outside", Karen suggested, and the two men before her nodded in agreement.

"How has she been?", Lucas asked his mother once they were out of the ICU and settled comfortably around a table in the hospital's cafeteria.

"Quiet", Karen replied softly. She chose her answer carefully, not wanting to upset Lucas but unable to lie to him. The truth was that spending the night with the broken girl she cared for so deeply truly broke her heart. Brooke was unusually quiet relatively to her old self, and Karen knew better than to assume that her silence was derived from a lack of things the girl had to express. She just couldn't believe that Dan Scott managed to turn another teenage girl's life upside down.

"Oh…", Lucas replied sadly. He knew that his mother didn't mean Brooke had a peaceful night, but that her tense silence didn't leave her even throughout the night, and that thought upset him deeply. "I'm gonna go check on Brooke now if you don't mind", Lucas somberly said and rose to his feet, feeling that the only thing that could relieve him from some of his gloom was seeing Brooke's face.

"We'll come with you", Keith exchanged looks with Karen and told Lucas what they both wanted to say. The two of them could see how depressed Lucas was, and whether it was because of Brooke or simply because it was a Monday, they didn't care or want to leave him alone.

The three walked out of the cafeteria in silence, each one of them engaged in deep thought. Their brooding came to an abrupt end when they walked into the ICU and suddenly heard Brooke's strained voice calling out.

All of the color was drained out of Lucas' face as he realized that Brooke wasn't just calling out, but yelling with fear, and he began running as fast as his feet could carry him, knowing that he needed to get to his girlfriend as soon as he could.

"Hang in there, Brooke, I'm coming!", Lucas yelled out as he ran, all the while hearing Brooke shouting in terror. He had no idea what was getting Brooke so scared, but when he finally reached her room, his eyes grew dark by the sight he saw.

"**What the hell are you doing?!"**, Lucas shouted in rage at the medical persona who was grabbing onto Brooke's arm. The man was forcefully holding onto Brooke with one hand as she cried with fear, while gripping an injector in his other hand. Lucas violently pushed the man away from Brooke and shoved him, and then turned to grab Brooke in his arms.

"Shh… Baby, it's O.K. now…", Lucas tried to soothe Brooke, who was shaking with fear and crying hysterically in his arms. She was gripping onto Lucas' back with all her power, as if she was holding onto him for dear life, and continued sobbing uncontrollably as he gently rocked her back and forth.

"What the hell have you done to her?!", Lucas asked the male-nurse with fury. Had it not been for his need to hold Brooke and help her feel secure, he would have beaten that guy to death by now.

"The head nurse instructed me to give her some pain medication", the man said and began approaching Brooke and Lucas again. At the sound of his footsteps, Brooke began sobbing louder and tightened her grip on Lucas so much, that he could now feel her racing heartbeats. She was obviously completely terrified.

"Don't you dare take another step towards her!", Lucas, still holding Brooke securely, slightly rose and pointed his finger at the man threateningly. He daringly looked him in the eye, and as the medical assistant saw the rage in Lucas' eyes, he stopped in his place.

"What's going on in here?", Karen and Keith finally caught up with Lucas and arrived at Brooke's room. Karen worriedly eyed Brooke as Keith questioningly looked at the unknown man.

"I'm just trying to do my job here…", the man began, but had no chance to finish his sentence with how furious Lucas was.

"Your job is to help her get better, not scare her to death!", Lucas screamed at the nurse, feeling his adrenaline and Brooke's needy grip stimulate his pulse into beating at a racing pace. He felt like slapping the man for his insensitive behavior.

"Let me just…", the medical assistant tried to come towards Brooke again, but Keith held him back, preventing him from advancing, as Brooke began hyperventilating with fear.

"Don't even think about it!", Lucas warned the man, glaring at him angrily. He felt Brooke digging her fingers deeper into his back as she struggled to breathe, and pulled her closer into his strong chest. This time he was going to come through for Brooke and prove to her that she could trust him to protect her.

"Come on… You and I are going to have a word with Dr. Goldstein…", Keith announced and forcefully led the man out of Brooke's room. Only now that he was out of view, Lucas' rage died out and allowed him to take a look at the terrified girl that was crying hysterically in his arms.

"It's O.K. now, baby…. He's gone", Lucas gently kissed Brooke on the top of her head as he rocked her in his arms, trying to calm her down.

"Lu… cas…", Brooke called out to him, struggling to vocalize his name through her sobs and strained gasps for air.

"Shh…. It's alright… Everything is alright", Lucas whispered into her ear. Her breathing was so speedy and sharp that Lucas was afraid she would pass out from lack of oxygen or hurt her fragile body with her abrupt air intakes. He knew he had to do something to soothe her quickly.

"Lu… cas…", Brooke desperately struggled for air as she fearfully called his name again. Her hyperventilating worsened even more, and now Lucas was truly worried for her well-being.

"Brooke, you've gotta breathe, babe", he told her, still holding her to him with just enough strength to keep her pressed tightly in his arms, yet remain from harming her fragile body.

"Lu… c…"

"Shh… Just breathe…", Lucas cut Brooke off and instructed her, sensing her increasingly concerning struggle to catch her breath and ease her sobs. He gently rocked her shaking body back and forth, desperately trying to make everything better for her, yet Brooke only seemed to be getting worse.

"Lucas…", She now managed to pronounce his complete name all at once in between her choked up sobs. She pressed her small fingers harder into Lucas' back as her gasps for air quickened.

"I'm here, baby, but you've gotta breathe for me, O.K.?", Lucas didn't loose his calm, even though he felt Brooke's shaking body grow weaker and weaker in his arms. Just then Dr. Goldstein appeared at Brooke's room's doorway. He gave Brooke a quick look and momentarily disappeared from the room, returning shortly with a syringe and a gas mask, which was connected to a tube carrying oxygen. As he began approaching Brooke, she shrunk into Lucas' arms even more and started uttering louder sobs.

"Baby, it's just Dr. Goldstein… He won't hurt you, I promise", Lucas attempted to help Brooke settle down.

"No… No…", Brooke cried, wheezing heavily. She clung onto Lucas as if her life might depend on it, and as Lucas raised his eyes helplessly to Dr. Goldstein, the doctor reassuringly nodded his head at him, as if to signal that it was alright.

"Brooke, he's just gonna give you something to help you breathe better, alright?", Lucas tried to rationalize with Brooke as Dr. Goldstein carefully came up to her. As she sensed the unfamiliar man stand above her, Brooke's panting increased even more.

"Lu… cas… p… lea… se…", She begged him, her whole body violently shaking with fear and anxiety as she helplessly cried. Lucas' heart truly broke to witness his girlfriend in such a horrible emotional state, but he knew he had to remain strong for her sake. He kissed her on the top of her head again and began to gently rub her back with one hand as he continued holding her to him securely with the other.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, Brooke, O.K.?", he swore to her. Dr. Goldstein carefully took hold of her hand, and as she felt him touch her, Brooke cried out in fear once more.

"Lucas!", she called out in panic, barely managing to fit his name between her hysterical sobs and gasps for air. She tried to wiggle out of Dr. Goldstein's grip, but Lucas held onto her tightly, knowing that if Brooke wouldn't calm down soon, she might faint. He felt horrible as he sensed Brooke's body helplessly and fearfully fighting him to get away, but he knew that he was doing what was in her best interest.

Brooke yelped as Dr. Goldstein quickly and skillfully injected a tranquilizing narcotic into her arm, but moments after he had done so, her speedy pants began slowing down and her sobs seemed to gradually subside. Dr. Goldstein carefully attached the gas mask to Brooke's face and after several minutes, Lucas felt Brooke's tense body exhaustedly melt into his arms. He glanced down at her and saw her eyelids tiredly droop over her eyes as her breaths started to even out.

"Why don't you lay Brooke down?", Dr. Goldstein suggested as he observed Brooke's exhaustion and numbness take over her. He tried to help take Brooke out of Lucas' arms, but as soon as she was slightly pulled away from Lucas' body, Brooke tensed up again and let out a panicked cry. As Lucas felt her little fingers dig back into his shoulders, he tightened his grip on her once more and pulled her back to him.

"Hey, it's O.K…. I'm not going anywhere", Lucas whispered into Brooke's ear and began rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Lu… cas… d… don't… l…"

"Shh… I'm right here, baby", Lucas, sensing how much effort Brooke was putting into speaking with him, silenced her gently. He gave her shoulder a soft kiss and continued carefully stroking her frail body, which was once again growing increasingly limp with every passing moment.

"P… lea... se… d… don't… go…", Brooke managed to faintly mumble before her fatigue won her over. Her body relaxed into Lucas' sheltering embrace and her eyes finally closed completely as she fell asleep, not letting go of Lucas' shoulders even in her sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere…", Lucas told Brooke once more, even though he wasn't sure she could truly hear him anymore. Her breaths finally slowed down and became deep and peaceful and her body softened, the way it would always do when she would fall asleep in his arms. Lucas smiled as he glanced down at Brooke, who was finally settled safely in his arms, where she belonged. He was only brought out of his loving gaze when Dr. Goldstein spoke.

"I'm truly sorry about the unfortunate incident with our intern", as Dr. Goldstein mentioned the man who put Brooke in the hysterical state she had been in, Lucas tensed back up in anger.

"What was he thinking?!", Lucas tried to keep his voice down, so he won't wake the sleeping girl in his arms, but sparks of fury were still evident in it.

"He will not be returning here", Dr. Goldstein calmed Lucas down, "His behavior was truly unacceptable. From now on, only I or the head nurse on duty will be allowed into Brooke's room".

"Good", Lucas seemed satisfied. He was silent for a moment, and as he glanced down at Brooke, who was resting peacefully in his arms, he decided to speak out what had been bothering him from the moment he saw how upset Brooke was, "Dr. Goldstein, do you think that it was all because of him?", he asked.

"What do you mean?", Dr. Goldstein questioned, not understanding Lucas. Lucas sighed and began explaining himself.

"Do you think that Brooke reacted so strongly just because she was scared of that intern?", Lucas honestly wanted to know. Of course he expected Brooke to be jumpy considering what she had been through, but it seemed to him almost as though she was reliving what had happened to her when he witnessed her gasping for air in his arms.

"Well…", Dr. Goldstein looked at Lucas pensively, "His forcefulness might have triggered a certain strong memory of the traumatic events Brooke has suffered. She has yet to truly cope with them, so now that she was forced to recollect them like that, she panicked", Dr. Goldstein explained. "I was meaning to suggest some therapy later on, when Brooke would be stronger, so in the mean time I suggest that you don't speak to her about her attack, as she might suffer another panic attack".

"Alright", Lucas immediately agreed to the doctor's suggestion. He was going to do everything in his power to keep any stress away from Brooke.

"Alright", Dr. Goldstein nodded. He approached Brooke and gently pulled the gas mask off of her head, as she no longer needed its assistance to breathe. He stepped back and looked at Lucas holding Brooke and couldn't help but smile, "you can stay this way until visiting hours are over. After that I'm afraid that Brooke won't be able to share her bed…", he told Lucas. He was already violating the regulations by letting him be on Brooke's bed at all, but he just couldn't find it in him to break the adorable pair up.

"Thank you", Lucas expressed his genuine gratitude and smiled at Dr. Goldstein as he left the room. He hated to think about the moment in which he would have to part with Brooke, but instead of thinking about the inevitable, he was going to enjoy every single second he had with Brooke sleeping sweetly in his arms…

* * *

Several hours later, Brooke and Lucas were still settled on Brooke's bed in their mutual embrace. By that point, Lucas had already laid back down, pulled Brooke over him and drifted off to sleep along with her. Her brown hair was tickling his neck and his lips were gently resting upon her shoulder just as they would have any other time Brooke climbed over Lucas' body and fell asleep on top of him. In their sleep, they had both forgotten that Brooke was in the hospital or that anything horrible had ever happened. They were just Brooke and Lucas- the loving couple who felt safest and most at home in one another's arms.

When Brooke suddenly began to stir, Lucas immediately woke up and looked down at her. Her eyelids were slowly fluttering open, but instead of the terror that they were filled with before, they finally looked almost calm.

"Hi there…", Lucas gently said to her. Brooke lifted her eyes to meet his, and even though she grew conscious of being in a hospital again, she somehow remained relaxed.

"Hey…", Brooke replied in her raspy, congested voice. As she looked at Lucas, her eyes remained soft and Lucas simply couldn't be happier. Even though she was still quite distant, Brooke didn't seem to be bothered by Lucas' hold on her body, as opposed to her earlier tension in reaction to every smallest touch.

"How are you doing?", Lucas caringly asked as he began to rub Brooke's shoulders softly. Her eyes slipped away from his and just as Lucas kicked himself mentally for pushing Brooke too far, she shrugged.

"Better, I guess", she quietly replied, her voice lacking the emotion Lucas had been hoping to hear it filled with.

"That's good, baby", he told her encouragingly. They remained silent for several moments, with Brooke still resting over Lucas as he stroked her shoulders and back gently. Brooke then slowly rose from Lucas' body into a sitting position and looked down at her hands. Lucas eyed her intently and, figuring she might be looking for some space, got up from her bed.

"Well…", Lucas rubbed his hands together as he rose to his feet, "I guess I should get going… Keith will stay here with you tonight, and I'll be back tomorrow, right after school", he told her. Brooke kept her gaze down and absentmindedly fidgeted with her fingers as Lucas spoke and also when he knelt down to her, cupped her cheek and kissed her. Only when he was about to leave the room, did she look up at him.

"Lucas…", her scratchy whisper caused Lucas to turn to her immediately. He looked at her questioningly as she debated with herself whether to say what was on her mind, or to remain silent. "Do you think that maybe…", her urge to speak out won over, but as she saw Lucas' gaze intensify, her eyes fell to the floor again as she grew silent.

"What is it, Brooke?", Lucas asked her softly, stepping back up to her.

"Could you maybe stay… Just until I can fall asleep again?", Brooke shyly asked, her eyes still glued to the floor. She looked so small and vulnerable to Lucas in that moment, that he wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go.

"Of course I can, babe", Lucas said, a wide smile spreading across his face as he realized that Brooke was finally reaching back to him again. He opened his arms and hesitantly asked her, "May I?", he was hoping that his request to hold her in his arms again wasn't going to push her back into her shell. Brooke raised her hazel eyes and as she met Lucas' caring gaze, timidly nodded.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to let me hold you", Lucas whispered into Brooke's ear and kissed her shoulder as he cradled Brooke back into his arms. Brooke made little adjusting movements and then settled peacefully in Lucas' arms. Her breaths soon grew deep and soft as she drifted back to sleep, beaten by her weakness and drowsiness.

As Lucas saw Dr. Goldstein peaking at him through Brooke's window, he gently kissed Brooke on the top of her head, and carefully laid her on her bed, tucking her under her blankets. Even though Lucas wished he could have remained in Brooke's room forever, he left the room with a huge smile on his face, knowing that Brooke needed and wanted him again. Even though he couldn't really know that then, Lucas somehow sensed that for the entire upcoming week, Brooke would need him to hold her in his arms every night in order to fall asleep, and even though she wouldn't say much, all Lucas needed was to feel her small body calmly breathing on top of his in order for everything to be alright.

* * *

**AN: Okay... So I hope this was alright... I truly hope that you all liked the Brucas in this chapter, as I tried to focus on them this time. This is all for now! ;-)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi guys! All your amazing reviews pushed me to write this chapter extra quickly! I hope you'll enjoy this, even though this chapter has some drama in it, along with cute Brucas moments... As always, I would be great to hear what you think! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 20**

It was another regular weekend evening a week after Brooke had her panic attack. She sat on her bed, slightly detached from Keith, Karen and Lucas, who were surrounding her, and blankly stared at Lucas as he was doing his homework. Lucas had been staying with her every night since the unfortunate incident, holding her to him until she was sound asleep and slipping out of her room quietly after he lay her down and bid goodbye to either Karen or Keith, who would watch over her through the night. On weekends, when Keith and Karen allowed him to stay overnight at the hospital, he would hold onto Brooke for a little longer, and finally settle beside her bed and watch her sleep until he himself drifted off. Throughout that entire week, Brooke remained extremely quiet. Lucas observed that she was still avoiding her emotions, even though sometimes at night he could feel her body trembling in his arms. He knew that Brooke needed to confront her feelings, but knew better than to push her. He therefore didn't force her to talk to him, even when her silence seemed disturbing, but simply provided her with the comfort she seemed to seek in his arms at night. That very day had been just the same. When Lucas finally lifted his eyes from his notebook, he found Brooke distantly looking into space, and even though the sight of her made his heart twitch, he forced himself to remain calm.

"Baby, would you like anything to eat?", Lucas gently put his hand on Brooke's lap and stroked it back and forth with his thumb. Brooke shifted her gaze over to Lucas and was met with his warm, loving eyes.

"I brought you pancakes from the café", Karen immediately lifted her eyes from the newspaper she had been reading and offered. She rose to her feet and quickly set a plate full of pancakes in front of Brooke.

"Come on, baby, have some. You've barely eaten all day", Lucas encouraged her. As he held her in his arms every night, Lucas noticed how skinny Brooke was becoming, and was truly getting worried with how much weight she seemed to be loosing.

"Thank you", Brooke's raspy voice softly said.

"You've welcome, honey", Karen smiled and put a hand on Brooke's shoulder.

Brooke began to slowly eat, taking small bites of Karen's delicious pancakes. Karen happily watched her, glad to see how much the girl seemed to be enjoying her homemade specialty.

"I almost forgot…", Karen got up once again and fumbled through her belongings, finally pulling something out of them. "I brought you some whipped cream!", she told Brooke. Brooke stopped eating and lifted her eyes over to Lucas. As he was met with her gaze, he suddenly saw her long-lost spark fuel back up in her eyes.

"Brooke?", he looked at her with confusion, a smile creeping up his face in reaction to the hint of the mischievous twinkle he so dearly loved to see in those beautiful hazel eyes.

"I guess Deb didn't tell everything after all… ", Brooke mumbled, a tinge of her playful tone evident in her voice, and Lucas finally understood what she was thinking about. He blushed and burst out laughing as he recalled bumping into Deb at the supermarket with Brooke, who cheerfully brought over a box of condoms and some whipped cream for _"dessert"_, not realizing Deb was standing right next to him.

"What are you talking about?", Karen asked with confusion, looking back and forth between Brooke and Lucas. When she saw the mischievous grin on her son's face, her eyes widened, as any mother's eyes would, "Kids, what is this all about?", she demanded to know.

"Nothing…", Lucas replied, not taking his eyes off of Brooke and chuckling at the distant memory.

"This doesn't sound like nothing…", Karen mumbled with displeasure. She wanted to continue interrogating her son about what he and Brooke seemed to know that she didn't, but when her eyes landed on Brooke, any anger she might have been feeling quickly faded away. For the first time since she returned from New Zealand, Karen saw Brooke smile. It may not have been her usual, wide dimpled smile, which could instantly light up a room, but it was there, as was that hazy, yet existent, twinkle in her eye.

"You're lucky, Lucas", Karen told her son, as she couldn't help but smile either, "This time you're off the hook", she told him, yet at that moment, all Lucas could care about was Brooke's lovely smile returning to her face. His mother could have grounded him for life for all he cared, because that smile meant that his cheery was finally starting to come back to him…

* * *

"Are you ready? O.K…. One, two, and up!", Dr. Goldstein supported Brooke as she lifted herself onto her feet as Lucas helped pull her up from her other side. Standing on her feet for the first time since she woke up, Brooke softly groaned.

"Are you alright?", Dr. Goldstein eyed his patient intently. Brooke bit her lower lip and nodded. Her weak legs were sore and aching and her stomach and ribcage were hurting her slightly as well, but she was determined to ignore her pain and prove to herself and to Dr. Goldstein that she was getting better. She knew that only that way she would be allowed to leave the hospital soon.

"Brooke, are you sure you're O.K.?", Lucas asked her worriedly as he saw her face slightly contort with pain. He knew that Brooke was still in a very fragile condition, and didn't want her to push herself too far.

"I'm fine", Brooke replied and forced herself to stand straight. She took a deep breath, pushing her pain away and, supported by Lucas and Dr. Goldstein, took a wobbly step forward. The two men from either side of Brooke looked at her apprehensively, but seeing that she was alright, advanced along with her across the room, over to the window. Once she reached the window, Brooke let go of Dr. Goldstein's hand and held onto the windowsill, leaning on Lucas' body for support.

"Do you want to lay back down?", Lucas looked at Brooke caringly, attentively examining her for any sign of increasing weakness, which would give him the legitimacy to carry Brooke back to her bed.

"No", Brooke shook her head and softly said. She leaned her head against Lucas and sighed. Standing up straight wasn't as easy as she hoped it would be, but if she gave in now, she would prove right Dr. Goldstein, who continuously told her she was still too weak to return to her house.

"You can stay this way for a little longer, but not more than ten minutes, alright?", Dr. Goldstein instructed the couple. He was satisfied with the improvement in Brooke's physical condition, yet knew that she still had to be extremely careful. He looked at both teenagers nodding their heads at him and added, "I'll come back later, Brooke. In the mean time, think about what I talked to you about earlier, alright?", Dr. Goldstein asked Brooke and in response, Brooke turned her head away from him and rested it on Lucas' chest again, facing away from him. Dr. Goldstein sighed as he thought about the conversation he had with the girl earlier that day. Brooke seemed to be getting a little stronger, but she still refused to talk about what had happened to her, or to see anyone other than Lucas, Karen, Keith, himself or the head nurses. Dr. Goldstein therefore thought it was time Brooke saw a professional psychologist, who could help her deal with the traumatic events she refused to confront. Upon gently suggesting the idea to her, Brooke refused so strongly that Dr. Goldstein immediately backed away, knowing he couldn't afford upsetting Brooke in her fragile condition. He knew that sooner or later, though, Brooke would have to come around and accept his suggestion, as her denial mechanism couldn't last forever. Dr. Goldstein cast Brooke one last glance and, seeing her settled comfortably in Lucas' embrace, smiled and walked away, leaving the young couple behind.

"What are you thinking about?", Lucas looked down at Brooke and questioned, rubbing her shoulders gently as he noticed her intense gaze. Brooke remained silent for several moments, the only sound coming out of her mouth was shaky breaths. Just when Lucas had given up and thought she wasn't going to reply, she sighed.

"I just want to get out of here and go home already", she plainly said, not moving her gaze away from the window.

"I know, baby", Lucas replied softly, hugging her just a little tighter, "But it's gonna take a bit longer… I think Dr. Goldstein wants you to talk to someone who could help you out before he lets you go", Lucas chose his words extremely carefully, not wanting to upset Brooke, yet her body suddenly stiffened and she pulled slightly away from Lucas, still leaning on him for support, but not as closely anymore.

"I'm not crazy", Brooke told him defensively, her tone slightly angry.

"Hey… I never said that!", Lucas tried to soothe Brooke, but her body remained stiff and uncalm, "Nobody thinks you are crazy, Brooke, I promise", he told her honestly, yet her tension remained. Despite Lucas' desire to convince Brooke that people were simply concerned about her, he decided to remain silent, as he feared to upset Brooke even more. He gently stroked Brooke's rigid back, which only softened up moments later, when her exhaustion took over and her legs gave out. Brooke practically fell against Lucas' body, yet he was quick to grab onto her and pull her back up before she hit the ground.

"Are you alright?", Lucas eyed Brooke with concern. Brooke nodded and rested against his body, unable to maintain the tension of her body. Lucas lifted her in his arms and was about to carry her back to her bed when Brooke suddenly put her hand on his arm.

"Luke…", he looked down and was finally met with her eyes, "Can we stay here for a little longer?", Brooke pleaded with him, and as Lucas looked into her hazel eyes, to which he could never refuse, he sighed and nodded.

"Alright…", he agreed, "But just for a bit, babe", he made his condition. Brooke nodded, sealing their deal, and turned back to face the window and stare at the beautiful river that coursed in front of her. Lucas adjusted her in his arms, and even though he was now carrying her entire weight, his arms didn't feel the slightest bit tired, because that moment was perfect. With Brooke's body calmly pressed to his, with her little hands clenching his sleeves, with her peaceful breaths synchronizing with his, he couldn't ask for more. Lucas kissed Brooke on the top of her head and joined her in staring at the breathtaking view. They remained that way until Lucas felt Brooke's body grow heavier in his arms, and as he looked down at her, he noticed that Brooke had fallen asleep.

"I love you", Lucas whispered to her, and even though Brooke was sound asleep, he somehow thought he saw her lips form the smallest of smiles.

* * *

The gentle tap on Brooke's door that Monday evening caused Lucas to lift his eyes from the girl in his arms to the direction of the door. Brooke was sitting across his lap, the side of her legs and body leaning against his frame, and her head resting on his shoulder, tucked into the crook of his neck, as he idly rubbed circles on her back.

As the door slowly opened, Lucas glanced down at Brooke and smiled when he realized that the soft knock and the creaking of the opening door didn't wake her up. He looked back up and was soon met with Haley's warm brown eyes.

"Hi Hales", Lucas greeted her quietly, not wanting to disturb Brooke's sleep.

"Hey…", Haley stood in the entrance of the room and fidgeted as she hesitantly looked at her once bubbly friend looking like a balloon whose air was sucked out. Even though Lucas kept telling her and Nathan that Brooke wasn't ready for visitors yet, she couldn't resist the urge to see her friend anymore. "I know you said I shouldn't come yet, but I just had to see her", Haley said apologetically as she saw Lucas tighten his grip on Brooke's body, which seemed to have tensed up slightly in Lucas' arms. Lucas nodded understandingly as he gently stroked Brooke's stiffened body and Haley took a few cautious steps into the room. "How is she doing?", Haley asked compassionately, looking at Brooke with her caring eyes.

"She's getting better", Lucas said in an encouraging tone and smiled at Haley, so to let her see that he meant what he said.

"I'm so glad", Haley said with relief, "I just can't believe…", she began, but her voice cracked. Her eyes fell to the floor as she took a deep breath, and when she raised them again, they were filled with tears. "I can't believe what he did to her…", Haley's lower lip quivered as she spoke and several tears escaped from her eyes. It was taking everything she had for Haley to keep from bursting out sobbing, but she managed to control herself. Haley took a deep breath and wiped away her tears as she looked at Brooke nestled safely in Lucas' arms. Seeing her friend in front of her made everything that happened more real to her, and she just couldn't help but let a few more tears drip from her swollen eyes.

"Don't cry, Hales…", Lucas gently said. He wanted to wrap his arms around his dear friend, and if they weren't occupied with Brooke's body, he would have done so.

"I'm sorry, it's just awful…", Haley quietly said, forcefully restraining the sob that almost escaped from her lips. She wiped away a few more tears and forced a smile onto her face. "I didn't mean to be such a baby, Luke, I'm sorry…".

"It's O.K.", Lucas softly said and smiled at Haley reassuringly. When he felt Brooke tighten her grip on his shoulders, he pulled her small figure closer to him and looked at Haley apologetically, "But I think it's still a bit too soon for visitors, Hales…", he gently told her. He hated to send Haley away in her apparent upset state, but he needed to think of Brooke's wellbeing first.

"Yeah, O.K….", Haley had noticed how Brooke's body grew tense from the moment she had entered the room, and certainly didn't want to cause her any harm. "Take good care of her", Haley's gaze lingered on Brooke for a few more moments until she forced herself to smile at Lucas, "Bye", Haley quietly said.

"Bye, Hales", Lucas smiled at her encouragingly and watched as she left the room. He felt bad for basically shooing her away, but when he felt his neck suddenly becoming damp, all of his previous thoughts were replaced with concern for Brooke. He looked down at her and saw tears flowing freely from her half-open eyes.

"Hey…", Lucas sat Brooke up on his lap and when she looked away from him, adjusted her so she was straddling him, thus facing him, "What is it, baby?", he asked her in his softest voice, holding onto the small of her back with one hand while cupping her cheek and wiping her tears away with the other. Brooke just shook her head and sniffled as more tears fell from her eyes down her face.

"You can tell me anything, Brooke", Lucas tried again, rubbing Brooke's cheek with his thumb, "Why are you crying?", he carefully asked, looking at her intensively. Brooke remained silent for several moments. She was crying because she was confused. She was crying because she suddenly realized how much she longed to return to her old life, with Haley and all her other friends. She was crying because Haley's tears set something off in her and made her think about what had happened to her again. She felt vulnerable and weak and perplexed, but she didn't know how to tell Lucas all that. It wasn't one thing that made her cry, it was everything, and all Brooke could think about at that moment was how to make her tears stop. She finally lifted her eyes to meet Lucas', and as she stared at the sea of emotions in his ocean-colored eyes, only one thing came to her mind.

"I miss you…", Brooke quietly said, staring at his eyes with tears in her eyes and breaking his heart into pieces. As Lucas pulled her slightly closer, Brooke's eyes slipped away from his.

"I'm right here, baby…", he told her. Brooke still stared down in between the two of them and Lucas suddenly felt guilty for leaving her side all those nights, after she would fall asleep. "Do you want me to talk to my mom and see if I can stay with you here all night tonight?", he asked, hoping to ease her pain slightly.

Brooke shook her head. She knew that Lucas spent as much time with her as he could, even missing basketball practices in order to be with her. She did wish he would never leave her side, but that was not what she meant. Still avoiding his eyes, Brooke took his large hand in her smaller one.

"I miss you, Luke", she repeated and placed his hand on her inner thigh. She was so at loss and confused at that moment, that this was the only thing she could think of to take her mind off of all the painful things that seemed to fill it up. As Brooke pulled Lucas' hand up her thigh, her body tensed, suddenly reminded of the last time a man had touched her so intimately. Flashes of Dan's aggressive strokes of her body invaded her mind and she involuntarily whimpered. Lucas froze in his place and looked up at her with concern, and Brooke, determined to push the disturbing images away from her mind, tried to continue pulling his hand towards where she was violated in the worst possible way, but Lucas wasn't cooperating.

"Brooke…", he uneasily said, looking at her with sheer concern as she cried and struggled with his hand. He understood she was trying to make the pain go away, but that was definitely not the way.

"Please, Lucas…", Brooke begged him, and Lucas could feel his eyes fill with tears at the sight of her so lost and broken.

"Brooke, I love you, but we can't… You need to heal before we can do this", he told her, not only talking about the physical damage Brooke had to overcome, but also the emotions Brooke needed to confront before he would feel O.K. with touching her so intimately. "Brooke…", his hand tensed up as she managed to slightly pull it up her thigh. He gently brought his hand back down, to her lower thigh, and gently stroked it, trying to show her that his refusal had nothing to do with the way he felt about her.

Brooke lifted her eyes to meet Lucas' and his affectionate gaze was immediately met with hurt from her side. Even though she couldn't deny that she wasn't ready for what she tried to pull off, she felt rejected by Lucas. As Lucas picked up on the pain in her eyes, he tried to hug her, but she pushed him off.

"Brooke…", Lucas tried to appease Brooke, but she was so hurt that she wouldn't let him. She suddenly felt as if Lucas was repulsed by her, knowing that she slept with his father.

"Get away from me…", Brooke hissed, moving off his lap.

"Come on, Brooke…", Lucas tried to hold her hand and make peace with her, but she jerked away from his touch.

"I said- get away from me!", Brooke raised her voice and began sobbing. She had never felt so rejected in her entire life.

"Brooke, please!", Lucas begged her, but she wouldn't have it.

"No!", she shouted, and rose to her feet, beginning to walk over to the other side of the room. Without anyone to support her, it was an extremely hard task, and Brooke found herself suddenly overtaken by pain and hardly able to keep herself stabilized. Lucas immediately rushed over to her and tried to steady her, but Brooke stubbornly pushed him away from her.

"_Get away from me, Lucas!"_, Brooke shrieked at him and wobbled over to the opposite side of the room, wincing in pain as she went. Lucas could be patient towards her with anything, except for when she was hurting herself. Angered by the sight of her determined to push herself, despite her evident pain, Lucas marched over to her and grabbed her arm.

"That's enough, Brooke", Lucas said. He had had it when he saw her crying tears of pain.

"_Lucas, back off!"_, Brooke screamed and tried to release herself from his powerful hold of her arm.

"No! I will not sit back and see you hurt yourself!", Lucas replied and practically dragged Brooke's resisting body back to her bed.

"Oh, so now you don't mind touching me?", Brooke hurtfully asked Lucas as she struggled to break free. Her resistance was starting to cost her as she couldn't help but double over slightly from pain, yet she continued fighting Lucas with all her strength. Lucas stared at her, amazed and angry by the way she stubbornly insisted on jeopardizing her fragile body with her unnecessary fight.

"Stop it!", He demanded as he seated her on her bed. When she kept struggling against him, he held her down to the bed, "Pretty girl, stop it!", only after he completed his sentence, did he realize what he had just said. He let go of Brooke, who froze at the mentioning of her traumatizing nickname and put his hands to his face in sorrow as he watched the color drain from Brooke's face. "Brooke, I am so sorry… It slipped…", Lucas apologized, mortified by what the two words seemed to do to his girlfriend. He looked at Brooke apologetically and worriedly as she sat on her bed, tears silently falling from her eyes. "Brooke…", he tried to reach out to her after several minutes of tense silence, but when she lifted her eyes to meet his, they were full with resentment.

"Lucas, get out", Brooke wasn't yelling this time, but her tone was as sharp as a knife. Lucas stared at her with hurt in his eyes, pained by her request to push him away after they seemed to be doing so well. "I mean it", she said after he just remained in his place and stared at her. He was going to continue arguing with her when Karen stepped into the room.

"Is everything alright in here?", Karen quizzically looked at both Brooke and Lucas, sensing the tension in the air. Lucas glanced at his mother and turned his attention back to Brooke.

"Brooke, please…", he made yet another try, but this time Brooke burst out crying so hard, that Lucas was completely taken aback.

"_I told you to get out!_", she cried, extremely upset. Her whole body was shaking so hard that Lucas knew he had to agree to anything just to make her stop.

"Lucas, why don't I stay with Brooke?", Karen gently suggested and Lucas nodded and began walking out. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn't afford to cause Brooke all that tension. As he stepped out of the room, he looked at Brooke through her window, and as he saw his mother approaching her and pulling her into a big hug, he slammed his fist into the wall with frustration. He was angry because just when things seemed to be going well, everything seemed to go wrong. He was angry because Brooke was no longer his cheery or his pretty girl, and now he wasn't even sure she was his girlfriend anymore. But he was most angry because the girl he loved was crying, and it was all his fault…

* * *

**AN: Okay, please don't hate me for this sad ending. I promise that Brucas will be back together soon enough! This is all for now! ;-)**


	21. Chapter 21

**O.K., so I really hope this chapter doesn't seem rushed, because I've been pretty busy and worked really hard to post an update. In terms of content, there will be many tears, but I hope that eventually you will be pleased... As usual, please let me know what you think! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 21**

It had been thirty minutes since Lucas had stormed out of Brooke's room with frustration, and Karen was still holding a shaky Brooke in her arms and rocking her back and forth comfortingly. Brooke's violent sobs had quieted down into muffled whimpers, but she was still holding onto Karen with as much desperation as in the second Karen grabbed her in her arms. Karen, therefore, didn't let go of Brooke until she heard her let out a shaky breath and felt her pull apart from her gently.

Karen looked at the girl who sat before her, and felt her heart shattering at the sight of her broken state. She carefully sent her hand towards Brooke's face and gently wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Brooke lifted her swollen eyes from the floor for a moment and sniffled, trying to stop her tears. When she saw the concern and care in Karen's eyes, Brooke felt more tears form in her eyes. She bit her quivering lip and looked away from Karen, desperately trying to get a grip over herself. She felt hurt and confused and ashamed and just wanted to run away from all her troubles, but was unfortunately unable to do so.

"Honey, do you want to tell me what happened tonight?", Karen finally asked Brooke as she seemed to have slightly calmed down. Brooke took a deep breath and, with her eyes still set on the floor, tried to begin to speak, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a tired and defeated sob.

"Oh Brooke…", Karen looked at her with compassion and immediately set her hand on Brooke's shoulder, for support. "Honey, I know that you're going through a tough time, but Lucas, Keith and I are here for you and only want to help you", Karen said as she patted Brooke's shoulders with gentle strokes. "If you talk to me about what's bothering you, I promise to try and make it better for you", Karen told Brooke, trying to encourage her to talk. Brooke remained silent for a few moments, only whimpering and sniffling uncontrollably, but as she finally felt strong enough to talk, she raised her wet eyes up to Karen's warm, caring ones.

"I'm just really confused right now", Brooke began, and as she finally spilled out her feelings, she felt her emotions rapidly rising again, "I try not to think about what D… Dan did to me, but I just can't help it", Brooke confessed, now crying again. A loud sob escaped from her mouth, but as Brooke looked into Karen's understanding eyes, she felt strong enough to continue talking. "He hurt me so bad…", Brooke was now sobbing uncontrollably, but she couldn't stop now, "I… I can still feel him all over me…", Brooke said in pain, "And I'm scared that this feeling will never go away…", Brooke finished her sentence and allowed more sobs out. Her ribcage and stomach began hurting her from her violent sobs, but she simply couldn't stop herself.

"I promise that it will get better in time", Karen squeezed Brooke's shoulders and said comfortingly, but Brooke was crying hysterically again. "Honey, I know that you're in a lot of pain right now, but you've got me and Keith and Lucas, and we're all gonna help you through this, O.K.?", Karen observed that upon hearing Lucas' name, Brooke's sobs became even louder. She frowned and tried to look into Brooke's eyes, but she was facing down and crying so hard that it was impossible. "Brooke, did Lucas say or do anything that upset you tonight?", she gently asked, not wanting to upset the emotional girl that was facing her, but in response to her question, Brooke started crying even harder.

"I… think…", Brooke barely managed to talk through her sobs, "that… he… he feels… repulsed… by me…", Brooke said, and allowed her sobs to take over. The pain from her sore body was increasing, but there was nothing she could do to make her tears stop.

"What?!", Karen exclaimed in shock, "Brooke, Lucas is crazy about you! Why would you say that?", Karen genuinely couldn't understand what gave Brooke that idea.

"I guess that I… I disgust him… now that his father…".

"That is not true, Brooke", Karen knew better than to allow Brooke to complete her sentence, and cut her off in a confident tone. "Honey, Lucas _loves_ you. Nothing has changed that", Karen tried to reassure Brooke, yet she seemed to remain unconvinced, staring at the floor and trembling as she tried to suppress her sobs.

"He pulled away from me tonight", Brooke said in the smallest of voices as more tears coursed down her cheeks. She was so ashamed of the fact that her boyfriend didn't seem to be into her anymore, that she felt unwanted all over again. As she felt Karen caringly wipe her tears away again, she couldn't help but let out another heart-wrenching sob.

"Brooke, look at me", Karen asked her, wanting the young girl to see the truth in her eyes. Brooke hesitantly lifted her eyes and did as she was told, and was immediately met with the honesty with which Karen looked at her, "Lucas loves you, O.K.?", in response to Karen's certain tone, Brooke nodded and allowed more tears to roll out of her eyes, "You are still recovering and he's just trying to be careful around you because he doesn't want to hurt you", Karen explained to Brooke what she was certain was the motive for her son's actions, and Brooke's gaze shamefully shifted to the floor.

"I'm sorry", Brooke croaked after a long silence, her face still lowered down in shame. She felt as though she was acting ungratefully by complaining about Lucas to Karen after what they had both been doing for her.

"Honey, you don't have to apologize", Karen affectionately put her hand over Brooke's and gave it a supportive squeeze.

"Yes, I do", Brooke was getting worked up all over again. All the emotions, which she had managed to suppress, were rising once again. "All of you have done so much for me and have been nothing but good to me…", Brooke let out a guilt-filled whimper, "I didn't mean to be such an ingrate", Brooke looked up at Karen apologetically.

"You're not an ingrate, Brooke", Karen smiled at Brooke reassuringly, touched by the fact that the girl's good heart seemed to be intact despite the rattling events she underwent, "I'm glad you told me how you feel and I want you to come to me anytime you need to talk about something, O.K.?".

"O.K.", Brooke nodded and wiped away some of the tears that were still flowing freely down her face.

"Good, and you'll see that things will work out with Lucas. You two have a great relationship", Karen looked Brooke in the eye and sincerely told her.

"Like you and Andy do?", Brooke insecurely asked, still needing Karen to strengthen her confidence. Karen's big eyes slipped away from Brooke's teary ones as a mixture of emotions flashed through them.

"Andy and I…", Karen began, and as she raised her eyes again, she forced a small, fake smile, "Unfortunately things didn't work out between us".

"What?!", Brooke asked in shock and felt her lower lip beginning to quiver. She once more felt as if nothing around her was sure, "Why?!".

"It turns out that Andy knew about Lucas' plan to bring Dan down and gave him some advice on the matter without telling me anything", Karen revealed to Brooke what she had refused to talk about ever since she left Andy. "I just couldn't trust a man who would give my son advice which endangered him behind my back… If he told me what was going on, I'm sure I could have prevented all of this from happening", Karen said sorrowfully. Brooke looked at her in shock for a moment, and then burst out crying again.

"Oh, honey, I didn't mean to upset you", Karen said, regretting having brought the matter up in front of Brooke.

"No… It's just…", Brooke was violently sobbing again, "_I_ was the one who turned in the account book… It wasn't Andy's fault, it was mine, and you broke up with him all because of me…", Brooke cried.

"Brooke, I didn't break up with him because of you, I broke up with him because he endangered my son and because he endangered you…", Karen told Brooke in a serious tone, feeling the need to make her understand that she was not to blame for the matter.

"I'm sorry…", Brooke sobbed, still unable to control her emotions, and Karen pulled her to her for a big hug.

"Shh… Calm down, honey… It's O.K….", Karen soothingly whispered into Brooke's ear as she began rocking her back and forth again. Brooke held onto Karen as tightly as she could, and simply cried about it all.

"Thank you…", Brooke mumbled through her shaky breaths and strong sobs, "for being… so good to me", Brooke tightened her grip on Karen as she spoke.

"You're welcome, Brooke", Karen softly told her as she began stroking her hair with gentle, motherly strokes. When she suddenly felt Brooke cringe in pain in her arms, Karen tightened her grip on the young girl. "Sweetheart, all this tension can't possibly be good for you. You're gonna have to try to calm down, alright?", Karen calmly told Brooke, knowing that she had to help her settle down.

Brooke nodded as she strengthened her grip on Karen's shoulders, trying to ride out a wave of pain that coursed through her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip in an attempt to make the pain go away, but a whimper soon escaped from her mouth. Karen worriedly glanced down at her and when she saw how her face was contorting in pain, quickly pressed the emergency button.

"It's gonna be alright, Brooke", Karen began rubbing Brooke's back soothingly as she tried to reassure her. She held her tightly to her and didn't let go when the head nurse rushed into the room and injected a pain-relieving sedative into Brooke's arm and not even when she felt Brooke's body fall into her arms more and more as the narcotic's influence on her increased. Only when Keith quietly stepped into the room and Brooke's breaths became heavier, did Karen carefully detach herself from Brooke and gently lay her on her bed, with Keith's help.

"I'm going to go and find Lucas", Karen whispered to Keith as she wiped the remaining evidence of tears away from Brooke's cheeks, "Don't leave her side while I'm away", Karen asked him.

"You know I won't", Keith smiled and simply told Karen, and she couldn't help but notice how confident she felt with Keith around. How much she trusted him to never put the people she loved in danger, like Andy had done…

* * *

One of the two streetlights, which lighted up the river court, was flickering on and off, causing the place to be only dimly lit. The place was abandoned, except for one parked car, one basketball and one boy who furiously ran across it, back and forth, ignoring the relative darkness that surrounded him. He was violently throwing his ball towards the hoop, constantly missing the shot and growing more and more frustrated with every passing second. He always seemed to manage to find peace in his quiet, deserted court, yet this time he couldn't take his mind off of what had happened earlier that night.

"Lucas!", he suddenly heard someone approaching him. He took another shot at the basket and upon missing yet again, threw his ball into the water when it bounced back to him.

"Damn it!", Lucas shouted, unable to contain his aggravation for any longer. His plan didn't work up, he messed up with the girl he loved, and now he couldn't even shoot a ball through a hoop. He felt like a complete failure at that moment. He held his face in his hands, feeling at loss, and soon sensed his mother's arms close around his body in a strong embrace. Even though he came to the river court in order to work things out on his own, he couldn't help but feel glad to have his mother give him her warm hug. He sighed and melted into her arms, allowing himself to feel like nothing more than the young boy he was.

"It's going to be alright, my boy", Karen said after a long silence and gently pulled away from Lucas to look at his face.

"How can you say that, mom? Brooke hates me!", Lucas exclaimed in frustration.

"She doesn't hate you, Lucas, she's just confused", Karen explained to Lucas, but he was getting all worked up.

"She told me to leave her alone. That doesn't sound confused to me!", Lucas hurtfully said.

"Do you want me to tell you what Brooke said to me tonight?", Karen looked at Lucas deeply in the eye with an intense gaze and only continued after he nodded, "She told me she thinks that you're not attracted to her anymore", Karen sharply said and Lucas' heart immediately dropped. At that exact moment, his self-pity was replaced with mortification that his own girlfriend felt rejected by him.

"Mom, that's not true…", he mumbled, still shocked that Brooke could truly believe that of him.

"I told her that and I'm pretty sure that deep down she knows that, but Brooke is in such a fragile place that she feels insecure basically about everything", Karen described to Lucas what she had observed that night.

"Then how am I supposed to act around her, mom? I'm trying my hardest, but I seem to be screwing up all the time…", Lucas said with defeat.

"I know you're doing the best you can, Lucas, and I'm proud of you for that", Karen squeezed her son's arms supportively, "And trust me, all you need is to keep patient and not hold anything Brooke does against her right now. Other than that, you're doing great", Karen said encouragingly and as Lucas skeptically raised his eyes to meet hers, she smiled at him, "Lucas, you'll see that Brooke will come around. We're just going to have to help her out a little".

"Do you think I could go see her right now?", Lucas asked, some hope returning to his eyes. Normally Karen would have told him to wait for the next day, considering the fact that it was a school night, but as she saw the anticipation in her son's eyes, she couldn't help but nod.

"Come on… Let's go", Karen guided Lucas into her car and the two of them drove off to the hospital, to Brooke.

* * *

Lucas peeked through Brooke's room's window, and saw her looking at Keith with tired, half open eyes, as he held her hand and spoke to her. He smiled, noting how relaxed and secure Brooke seemed in Keith's presence, and realizing that to the eye of the stranger, Keith naturally looked like Brooke's father. He almost hated interrupting the tranquil scene that he saw, but the urge to set things right with Brooke eventually overruled, and Lucas gently opened Brooke's door and carefully walked into her room.

Brooke immediately tensed up as she heard the door creak open, and froze when she saw Lucas standing in front of her.

"Lucas…", She uttered his name and immediately became silent, feeling her emotions whirl in her head once more and begin to confuse her all over again. She felt ashamed for her outburst earlier that night, she felt insecure about Lucas' love all over again, and as she looked into Lucas' mesmerizing eyes, just felt like she wanted to cry.

"Brooke, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for whatever it is I did tonight that made you doubt my love for you", as Lucas witnessed Brooke's eyes begin to water, his voice became shaky as well. He carefully approached her and seeing that Brooke didn't flinch or pull away, he sat on her bed facing her, and took her hands in his, giving them a soft squeeze, "I never want you to doubt that I love you, because I do… With all my heart", Lucas' voice was filled with emotion, and as Brooke's teary eyes continued looking into his blue orbs, she saw tears welling up in them too.

"I love you too", Brooke squeaked out and fell into Lucas' arms, unable to stop her tears anymore. She still felt drowsy from the sedatives that were given to her, but Lucas' confession caught her attention and captured her heart. As she felt Lucas pull her onto his lap and wrap his arms around her body, all of her confusion began fading away and she could almost forget that she was in a hospital.

"I'm sorry", she whimpered into his neck, her voice muffled slightly by his shirt, but Lucas heard her and tightened his grip on her body.

"Shh… It's alright, baby…", Lucas said in a soft tone, kissing Brooke on the top of her head as a couple of tears slipped from his eyes as well. He just couldn't stay indifferent to the feeling of Brooke's body trembling in his arms.

"You were right- I'm not ready yet…", Brooke whispered her confession into Lucas' skin, and he began rubbing her back in comforting circles, trying to make her tears stop.

"I know, baby, it's O.K….", Lucas squeezed her to him gently, wanting her to be as close to him as possible.

"I'm sorry…", Brooke repeated, clenching onto Lucas' sleeves.

"It's alright, Brooke, please don't cry", Lucas gently asked her. He held her to him until he heard her sniffle and felt her slightly pull away from him. He helped her sit on his lap, facing him, and carefully wiped her tears away as Brooke shakily wiped away his.

"I love you", he told her once again, wanting her to be complete confident about that fact, and brought her small hand to his lips, for a gentle kiss. Brooke smiled at him and suddenly, without any warning, leaned into him and kissed his lips softly. Lucas froze in shock for a moment, but as he felt Brooke's hands rest on his cheeks and felt her lips tenderly and calmly, and not frantically, press against his, he began kissing her back. The two of them continued softly pressing their lips against each other for a long time, filling up their mutual need to feel close to one another, and only pulled apart when Brooke became short of air. They rested their heads against one another and looked into each other's eyes, feeling safe again, finally growing calm again, falling in love all over again…

* * *

**AN: Alright, this is all for this time! I'm sorry if there were any spelling mistakes or something, I just really didn't have the time to reread this, so I hope it turned out O.K. I really hope you all liked this! ;-)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys! Thanks for all your wonderful words! They inspired me to update again, so I worked really hard, and here's another chapter for all of you! For all you guys who wanted to see other characters other than Brucas- there's some Naley in this chapter especially for you! So, I hope you'll enjoy this, and please share your thoughts with me! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 22**

Lucas grabbed Brooke's hand as the two of them stepped out to the hallway, on their way to the therapist's office. He knew she was dreading the encounter with the professional, so he offered to walk Brooke over to the psychologist's office, and to stay with her if she wished. Brooke gratefully accepted and, since she insisted on walking and not using her wheelchair, the two slowly made their way from her room to the clinic.

"Are you alright?", Lucas finally questioned, as Brooke's silence became too much to bear. Brooke lifted her eyes from the floor over to him, and forced herself to smile.

"I'll be O.K.", she said in her quiet, raspy voice and shifted her gaze back to the floor. Truthfully, she felt far from O.K., but didn't want to get Lucas worried. After a long talk with Dr. Goldstein, the morning after she fought with Lucas, Brooke agreed to meet with a professional, who, as Dr. Goldstein had told her, would help her deal with everything she went through. Brooke realized she needed help to deal with the trauma she still avoided confronting, but was truly scared to dig into the painful wounds, which she barely managed to keep closed. Despite Brooke's attempts to disguise her anxiety, Lucas managed to pick up on the suppressed fear in her voice, and eyed her with concern.

"Brooke, if you don't feel ready for this, we can wait", Lucas suggested. He knew that Brooke's session with the psychologist was yet another step towards her being released from the hospital, yet as much as he was eager to see her out of the medical institute, he didn't want to pressure her.

"I'm gonna have to do this at some point, aren't I?", Brooke grumbled and sighed. If it would have been up to her, she would have skipped the entire ordeal, but Dr. Goldstein was so insistent, that she knew she wouldn't be able to.

"Well, yeah… Sooner or later", Lucas replied gently, "and I guess that sooner…".

"Is better than later?", Brooke completed Lucas' sentence and he nodded and squeezed Brooke's hand supportively. "Yeah, I guess you're right", she sighed, "Let's get this over with…".

"We're gonna get through this together, Brooke, I promise…", Lucas told Brooke and kissed her on the top of her head. Brooke looked up at him and forced a small smile.

"Thanks, Luke… It means a lot", Brooke softly said, meaning her words with all her heart, and Lucas was truly glad that she seemed to keep warming up to him from moment to moment.

"Anything for you, babe", Lucas smiled at Brooke reassuringly and bent down to give her a quick, sweet peck on the lips. He was trying to truly build up Brooke's confidence, but as the two of them grew closer and closer to the psychologist's office, Lucas felt more and more nervous and uncomfortable. He knew that it was truly important for Brooke to talk about what she had been through in order for her to be able to begin to move on, yet the thought of hearing her describe all the horrible things his father had done to her was truly unbearable.

The two of them walked in silence until they arrived at the clinic, where Lucas held the door for Brooke and gently guided her in. He could feel Brooke's hand beginning to tremble in his as they sat down on the psychologist's sofa, and gently squeezed it as he pulled her closer to him.

"It's O.K., baby", Lucas whispered to Brooke reassuringly and she nodded, inching even closer to him. She lifted her eyes, and was finally met with the gaze of the woman of profession who sat before her and smiled at her.

"I'm Dr. Lockhart. You must be Brooke", she greeted Brooke kindly and Brooke simply nodded, dreading what she knew was about to come. If it wasn't for Lucas' calming presence by her side, Brooke was sure she would have fled by now.

"And you are?", Dr. Lockhart studied Lucas with a questioning smile.

"Lucas… Brooke's boyfriend", Lucas said, trying to sound as confident as he could, and squeezed Brooke's shoulder protectively as he announced his relation to her.

"Well, it was very nice of you to escort Brooke over here", Dr. Lockhart said to him, "But we should begin our session, so why don't you wait outside?", she suggested. Brooke immediately clung onto Lucas' arm in alarm, most certainly not wanting Lucas to leave her side. She looked at Lucas in panic, her eyes pleading with him to stay with her.

"I promised Brooke to stay with her, Dr. Lockhart", Lucas looked her in the eye and told her assertively, not budging. Dr. Lockhart didn't seem pleased, so Lucas added, "I won't disturb you, I promise".

"Alright then…", she shrugged, giving in to the determined boy, "Well Brooke", Dr. Lockhart cleared her throat and briefly glanced at some notes, "Why don't we start with you telling me about what happened", she instructed.

"What?", Brooke looked at her in shock and mumbled in a shaky voice. She most certainly didn't feel ready to put the trauma she had been through into words.

"I want you to tell me, in your own words, what happened", Dr. Goldstein calmly said, seemingly unfazed by the fact that her request seemed to upset the young girl before her.

"But… Dr. Goldstein said he told you all about it…", Brooke's voice began trembling even more. She felt as if she was being pushed into the corner and pressured to do something she simply couldn't handle.

"He did, but I would like to hear it from you", Dr. Lockhart insisted, causing Brooke to squirm uncomfortably in her seat.

"He… he said I wouldn't have to talk about anything I didn't feel comfortable to talk about…", Brooke protested, feeling her lip beginning to quiver. She simply couldn't understand why this woman was insisting on making her do something she just didn't want to do. She felt Lucas squeeze her shoulders as she took a shaky breath and pushed her tears down.

"Brooke, part of therapy is talking about what has brought you here", Dr. Lockhart said and as she saw Brooke's eyes welling up with tears, softened her tone, "Look, I'm not doing this to make things hard for you, I truly want to help you", she said.

Brooke remained silent for several moments, looking at the floor and thinking about what Dr. Lockhart had said. She finally lifted her eyes and looked up at Lucas as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Lucas…", she shakily pronounced his name.

"What is it, baby? Is this too much for you?", Lucas asked with concern as he gently wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Brooke shook her head and put her hand over his.

"I need to do this on my own", she quietly said, eyeing him intently to make sure he wasn't hurt by her request.

"Are you sure?", Lucas asked, looking deeply into Brooke's eyes as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Brooke nodded as she bit her lip, fighting more tears.

"Will you wait for me outside?", she pleaded and Lucas smiled at her reassuringly.

"You know I will", he told her and pinched her nose playfully, trying to get Brooke to smile.

"Bye", she sniffled and smiled slightly at Lucas as he rose to his feet, getting ready to leave.

"I'll be right out that door if you need me", Lucas said to her before walking away. Although he would have stayed with Brooke if it had been her wish, Lucas was pretty relieved that she didn't want him to. Merely thinking about the horrific phone-call he had been forced to listen to caused Lucas to fill up with fury, that Lucas knew that he wouldn't have been able to control himself had he been sitting next to Brooke in the therapy room and hearing her fill in the gaps of what wasn't transmitted through the call. As Lucas paced back and forth in the corridor next to Dr. Lockhart's office, he realized that he simply didn't know what he would do if some day Brooke would feel the need to share with him what had happened in detail. He hoped that if that day would come, he would be able to control himself and be supportive, and not blow up in rage.

Forty minutes later, when Dr. Lockhart's door opened and she guided a withered Brooke out of her office, any thoughts that Lucas had about his own feelings and fears were replaced with care and concern for her. At that very moment, as he took Brooke from the psychologist and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, he knew that he would do whatever it would take to make his pretty girl blossom again, even if it meant listening to the horrific descriptions of what had happened to her.

"Let's go back to your room", he gently guided Brooke as he brushed the tear-strains away from her cheeks. He could tell that Brooke was pretty overwhelmed and therefore knew better than to question her about her feelings. "You should get some rest, baby", Lucas began leading Brooke back to the ICU when she stopped and shook her head.

"Let's just walk around for a while", she said in a small voice, sounding very shaken up and completely emotionally drained. Lucas looked down at her and, even though he wanted to protest, as he was concerned about her wellbeing, grow silent when he observed that she was still processing what she had talked about with Dr. Lockhart.

"Please, Luke…", Brooke looked up at him with her big hazel eyes and that did it.

"Come on…", he kissed her on the top of her forehead and held her to his side as they silently walked together, not exchanging even one word, but feeling as close as they ever were…

* * *

"A little help here!", Lucas pleaded with Keith as he tried to open Brooke's room's door. Keith, who had been waiting for the couple inside Brooke's room, lifted his eyes from the bills he had been going through and chuckled at the sight before him.

"There you go", Keith pulled the door open for Lucas, who had been trying to balance a sleeping Brooke on his back as he fought with the heavy door. "So I take it Brooke became tired on the way back from Dr. Lockhart…", Keith asked Lucas, amused by the sight before him.

"Try on the way over from the hospital cafeteria…", Lucas corrected him as he walked over to Brooke's bed with Brooke still clinging onto him in her sleep with her head resting on his shoulder.

"The cafeteria?! It's in an entirely different section of the hospital! What have you been doing there?!", Keith laughed through his inquiry as he helped Lucas take Brooke off his back and lay her safely in her bed.

"Brooke wanted to take a walk", Lucas explained as he tucked Brooke in and smiled, pleased, as he looked at her curled up peacefully under her blankets. Keith looked at him and shook his head as he chuckled. "What?", Lucas asked him.

"I think Brooke Davis is coming back to us. She already has you wrapped around her little finger again…", Keith said with a grin. Lucas shrugged as he smiled back at him.

"She always did…", he admitted as he carefully moved a stray strand of hair away from Brooke's face and watched her as she slept.

"You should be careful, though", Keith's grin faded as he grew serious, "Remember that Dan is only getting released tomorrow. I wouldn't want Brooke to accidentally bump into him…", Keith warned Lucas, whose face tensed up immediately.

"You're right, I wasn't thinking", he confessed, shuttering just by thinking about what would have happened if the unwanted encounter had occurred. Keith realized that he had brought Lucas' spirits down, so he decided to change the subject slightly.

"You know that his trial is coming up next week", Keith told Lucas encouragingly, "After that he will begin to pay for all of his evil actions". Lucas nodded, and stared at Brooke intently for a while. Just when Keith thought that Lucas didn't want to talk about it, he opened his mouth to speak.

"She's not gonna have to testify, is she?", Lucas averted his worried gaze from Brooke to Keith and looked at him questioningly. It was hard enough for Brooke to talk to a psychologist about what Dan had done in a safe secluded room, that Lucas knew that having to testify in a room full of people, a lawyer defending Dan and Dan himself would simply be too much to handle for Brooke.

"Probably not", Keith answered, "there are plenty more witnesses that are willing to testify, including Nathan and myself and also some cops, that Brooke will probably be dismissed, considering the sensitivity of her situation", Keith filled Lucas in on what he had been told. "I don't know if you were told, but Dr. Lockhart also works with the police when children or young adults in delicate conditions are involved, and she will probably give her assessment as well, without revealing the intimate things Brooke shared with her, of course".

"That's good…", Lucas sighed in relief, "Brooke's been through enough as it is…".

"She most certainly has…", Keith agreed with his nephew, "but she truly seems to be getting better those past few days".

"I know", Lucas replied with a satisfied smile, "I was thinking of telling Haley and Nathan to come and visit her this weekend, after she's moved over to the general ward", Lucas shared his idea with his uncle, "I think she's finally ready for that".

"I think you're right… The sooner Brooke gets back to her normal life, the better…".

* * *

"Brooke?", Haley hesitantly stepped into her friend's room and called out her name. After her not-so-successful visit last time, Haley was a bit anxious coming over to see Brooke, despite Lucas' encouragements that this time things would be different. She knew that this time she had Nathan by her side, but she still felt nervous about upsetting her fragile friend. When she looked at Brooke and saw the smile on her lips and the tired, yet mischievous spark in her eyes, Haley sighed in relief, understanding that this time it was going to be O.K..

"Hi tutor girl", Brooke greeted her, her smile slightly widening, and Haley noted to herself that she had never felt so glad to hear that nickname in her entire life.

"Hi… I'm so glad to see you getting better", Haley told her with a lot of emotion. She just couldn't believe that this slightly weaker, yet recognizable version of Brooke was the same girl she saw several days earlier, buried in Lucas' arms. It was as if the lost girl she had seen had managed to find her way back in the gap between her visits.

"Don't just stand there… Come and give me a hug", Brooke commanded and brought Haley out of her pondering state, "You too, Nate", she ordered him as well and both of them immediately came to her side, Haley grabbing onto Brooke first for a fierce hug.

"Oh… I missed you, Brooke Davis", Haley told her friend as she held onto her and felt tears forming in her eyes. After her last visit, Haley truly feared that the Brooke Davis she knew and loved was lost for good, and was so relieved that despite everything she had been through, Brooke seemed to manage to get back to herself.

"I missed you too, Haley James Scott", Brooke replied, only allowing a bit of emotion to slip into her voice. She knew that if she wouldn't hold herself together really tightly, she wouldn't be able to control herself at all.

As Haley finally pulled apart from her, sniffling and wiping several tears out of the corner of her eye, Brooke frowned, "Don't get all sappy on me, tutor girl. I won't allow it!", she said, trying to disguise her own rising emotions with a light tone. Haley, Lucas and Nathan realized that Brooke was intensely fighting to keep it together, and Haley immediately nodded apologetically, admiring Brooke for managing to be so strong even though she could tell how tough it was for her.

"O.K., I promise I won't, just don't kick me out!", Haley pretended to plead as she got a grip over herself, and managed to lighten up the mood and put a smile on Brooke's face.

"O.K., you can stay", Brooke pretended to contemplate her decision regarding Haley before she replied, and then turned over to Nathan, "but if you don't get your butt over here right now, Mr. Nathan Scott, you will be in serious trouble", she told him and in response, Nathan lifted Brooke from her bed and swooped her in his arms, causing her to burst out giggling.

"Careful, Nate", Lucas reminded his brother through his own smile as he watched him twirl around with Brooke in his arms. He was extremely glad to see how bubbly Brooke managed to be again with her friends around, yet didn't forget that Brooke was still in the hospital, still recovering from her injuries. She was getting better and better every day, both physically and emotionally, yet Lucas couldn't help but remain overprotective of her.

He watched as Nathan carefully lowered Brooke back to her feet and immediately came to her side, to give her a hand and help her stabilize.

"It's alright, Broody", she told him with a reassuring smile, and Lucas felt his heart leap in his chest as he heard her pronounce his nickname for the first time since she had woken up. He smiled back, yet didn't let go of her hand, and helped her walk back to her bed and sit down on it.

"So hot-shot, how is basketball season going?", Brooke asked Nathan, forcing herself to sound cheerful, seeing the sympathetic looks he and Haley were giving her. She most certainly didn't want to feel as though her friends were pitying her.

"The team's doing fine… Of course, it's not the same without our lovely head cheerleader cheering for us…", Nathan told her with a wink. Brooke forced a smile, even though a wave of sadness coursed through her body at the thought of what she had been missing on. Nathan observed that and immediately spoke again, "But you'd never guess who is currently occupying the missing spot in the squad!", he said, knowing it would get her mind off of her sad thoughts.

"They replaced me?! I want to know who that skank that took my place is!", Brooke said with fury, and her three friends exchanged smiles.

"That skank would be me", Haley told a shocked Brooke, bursting out laughing.

"Wh… What?", Brooke mumbled in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"I didn't want the other cheerleaders to hold auditions for your spot, so I told them I'll step in for the mean time, and leave the moment you can go back to cheerleading", Haley told her with a caring smile.

"You… you did that for me?", Brooke asked, and looked at Haley, stunned.

"Of course I did, Brooke, you're my friend… But please get better soon, because I don't know how long I will last, with my lousy coordination…", Haley admitted, laughing at herself.

"Thank you, Haley", Brooke slowly lifted herself from the bed and walked over to Haley, for yet another hug. Haley gladly accepted and embraced Brooke, feeling Brooke hold her tightly with gratitude. "And I'm sorry about the skank remark…", Brooke apologized awkwardly, causing Lucas, Haley and Nathan to burst out laughing.

"It's O.K., Brooke", Haley ensured as she pulled away from her friend and looked her in the eye, wanting Brooke to see she really wasn't mad. "Nate and I brought you a little something", Haley told Brooke, whose remorseful eyes were immediately filled with excitement, like a child's eyes on Christmas.

"What is it?", Brooke asked impatiently, eager to see what gift Haley and Nathan were bearing. Nathan brought over a bag and Brooke snatched it from his hands, unable to contain her excitement.

"And you told me to be careful around _that_?", Nathan looked at Lucas and gestured to Brooke, who was ripping her present open, causing her three friends to laugh at her childlike enthusiasm.

"Oh my god… Is this from Suburban Filth?!", Brooke shrieked with excitement as she revealed a red top from the wrapping paper.

"Yes, it is", Haley grinned, knowing how much Brooke loved that store.

"Oh my god, I love you!", Brooke threw herself into Haley and Nathan's arms, who couldn't help but laugh. "I'm so gonna try it on right now!", Brooke announced and began heading out of her room, in the direction of the restrooms.

"Brooke, do you want me to come with you?", Lucas questioned, feeling uneasy about letting Brooke walk out of her room by herself, but Brooke insistently shook her head.

"You don't get to see me in my new shirt before everybody else, boyfriend!", Brooke told him and stuck her tongue out at him before she walked out, and Lucas understood that it was time to loosen up around her.

"Clothes… Why didn't I think about that before?", Lucas asked himself out loud as he marveled at Brooke's cheerful behavior. Sure, she seemed happy and calm those past few days, but never this perky and bubbly. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of clothes as a way to cheer Brooke up before Haley and Nathan.

"She seems happy", Nathan told his brother honestly, genuinely glad to see the improvement in his friend's condition.

"She is… Or at least, she's getting there", Lucas replied, pride for Brooke's progress evident in his voice.

"Have you talked to her about Dan's trial?", Haley questioned. It had been keeping her and Nathan so occupied, that Haley didn't know how Lucas would be able to keep something so big away from Brooke.

"No… She really doesn't need that right now", Lucas replied, "I want Brooke to focus on getting better", he explained.

"I think you're doing the right thing, Luke", Nathan told his brother as he thought back to the unconscious girl he had carried out of his father's cabin. He most certainly didn't want Brooke to remember the traumatic events she went through. As they heard Brooke's little footsteps hurriedly coming back, the three of them silenced their conversation.

"Well… Let's see that new shirt of yours, gorgeous!", Lucas called out to Brooke moments before she entered the room, but when she came into sight, the faces of all three friends of hers fell.

"Brooke, what happened?!", Lucas rushed over to Brooke, who had tears trickling down her cheeks and was unhealthily panting, still holding her new shirt in her hand. At the moment Lucas reached her, Brooke jumped into his arms and began sobbing loudly, clinging onto him with all her strength.

"What's wrong with her?", Nathan asked Lucas worriedly, looking at Brooke buried between Lucas' arms and putting his own hand on her back, for support.

"I don't know…", Lucas tensely glanced over at Nathan for a moment, and then turned his gaze back to his sobbing girlfriend.

"Brooke, baby, please tell me what happened!"

* * *

**AN: I hope you don't hate me for the cliffhanger... I haven't done one of those for a pretty long time and truly couldn't help myself anymore...**

**I normally don't do this, and as those of you who have been reviewing through the site already know, I always reply back to reviews personally and not through my story, but I got this amazing anonymous review to whom I couldn't reply, so I have to use this space and thank Shana for writing me such a heart-warming review! You truly put a smile on my face, so thank you! Since I thanked her, I can't help but thank those of you who have been so loyal to my story so far and have always told me what you think- Brooke D., journey4eva, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, Tanya (tanya2byour21), naley4ever343, Brucas forever x, onetreefan, Raqndomer, BrOoKe DaViS23, brucas224, Sophia-Chad, Brooke6404, TeamxxBrucasxx and the rest of you who have left your reviews here and there (and I'm truly sorry if I left anyone out...)! Your support is very much appreciated, and I would have never continued without your support!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi guys! Thanks for all you awesome reviews! I was really glad to see that you enjoyed the scene with the more cheerful version of Brooke, because I really missed writing that side of her! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well, even though Brooke won't be quite as perky in it... For all of you who have been trying to guess what happened to Brooke- now's the time to find out if you were right! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

"_Brooke, what happened?!", Lucas rushed over to Brooke, who had tears trickling down her cheeks and was unhealthily panting, still holding her new shirt in her hand. At the moment Lucas reached her, Brooke jumped into his arms and began sobbing loudly, clinging onto him with all her strength._

"_What's wrong with her?", Nathan asked Lucas worriedly, looking at Brooke buried between Lucas' arms and putting his own hand on her back, for support._

"_I don't know…", Lucas tensely glanced over at Nathan for a moment, and then turned his gaze back to his sobbing girlfriend._

"_Brooke, baby, please tell me what happened!"_

**Chapter 23**

"Brooke… Brooke, I need you to calm down for me", Lucas told Brooke urgently as she continued panting in his embrace. Her body trembled against Lucas' frame as she sobbed uncontrollably and desperately gasped for air. Lucas pressed her closer to him and could immediately sense how quickly her heart was beating.

"Brooke, this isn't good for you. You have to calm down!", Lucas told her with tension. He was truly concerned about her wellbeing, seeing her so upset. As Brooke dug her fingers deeper into Lucas' back and uttered yet another heart-wrenching sob, Lucas realized that something had to be done quickly, yet that he was helpless to aid Brooke on his own.

"Nate, can you go one floor up, to the ICU, and get Brooke's doctor – Dr. Goldstein to get over here?", Lucas pleaded with Nathan, who immediately nodded and raced out of the room, to get help for Brooke.

"Is there anything I can do to help?", Haley immediately questioned. She was extremely worried about Brooke, and truly wanted to help her out, yet didn't really know how. Lucas looked at her as he rocked Brooke in his arms, trying to soothe her, and thought.

"Yeah…", he replied after several moments, "You can go find my mom and Keith. Maybe they'll know what to do…", Lucas desperately said, feeling his tension growing as Haley rushed out of the room and left him alone with Brooke.

"Brooke, take deep breaths for me, baby", he instructed her in a frantic tone. He could feel Brooke trying to do as he said, but she was so upset that she simply couldn't control herself.

"Lucas…", Brooke whimpered in between her sharp air-intakes, and Lucas tightened his grip on her shaking body in response.

"Just focus on breathing, babe. Don't talk right now", Lucas directed Brooke, praying that someone would come to help him out already. All he could do was try to soothe Brooke with comforting words, and as he could tell it clearly wasn't enough, Lucas knew something else needed to be done.

"Luke", despite Lucas' request, Brooke chose to continue trying to talk to him, "I'm gonna be sick…", she said in a squeaky whisper, barely managing to keep her voice stabilized due to the sobs, pants and coughs by which she was overcome.

"Try to hold it down for a minute, Brooke", Lucas asked her as he secured his arms around her body and began racing towards the nearest restrooms, which were located farther up the corridor. The moment he had brought Brooke out of her room, Lucas observed that Brooke had become even more upset. Her hyperventilating worsened and she hid her face in Lucas' shoulder, as if she was frightened of something, and cried even harder.

"We're almost there, Brooke", Lucas encouragingly told her, and as they reached the restrooms, Brooke simply leapt out of Lucas' arms, fell to her knees and began emptying her stomach's contents into the toilet, coughing and crying as she threw up.

Lucas immediately knelt down beside her and held her hair back with one hand as he began to rub circles on Brooke's back with the other, watching Brooke with growing concern as she continued heaving into the toilet and sobbing.

"Just let it out", Lucas told Brooke quietly, talking both about the substances in Brooke's stomach and about the tears she needed to let herself cry, knowing that she would feel better once her body would be cleared of both. In response, Brooke heaved again, now only having water left in her body to discard. As Lucas patiently and caringly continued stroking her back, Brooke finished emptying what she had left in her stomach and then slumped over the toilet exhaustedly, crying weakly.

Lucas left Brooke's side for a moment and got up on his feet. He took a tissue out of his pocket and put it under the faucet, dampening it slightly. He then quickly knelt back down next to Brooke, gently pulled her up to a straight sitting position, and wiped her mouth as he held onto her weak body. As Lucas helped her clean up, Brooke continued to cry and cough exhaustedly, still very evidently upset, yet completely worn out already. Lucas looked at her with concern, still holding her with one hand, stabilizing her, as he carefully brushed some of her tears away from her cheeks with his other hand.

"What happened to you, Brooke?", Lucas asked Brooke in his soft, caring voice, when he thought Brooke had calmed down enough to talk, yet his question only caused her sobs to become louder and her breaths sharper.

"O.K., O.K…. You don't have to talk about it right now", Lucas quickly told her, regretting having upset Brooke again, "Come on… Let's get you back to your room", he helped her up to her feet and picked her light body in his arms as he flushed the toilet. He felt Brooke clinging onto him with fear and in response, lowered his head and kissed her shoulder softly, "It's alright now, baby… I've got you", Lucas whispered into Brooke's ear in a confident tone. He truly wished he could know what he was dealing with, so he could help Brooke more effectively, yet wanted Brooke to know that no matter what she was upset about, he would be there for her, guarding her with his life. Lucas was about to step back into the hallway, when Brooke began hyperventilating with fear again.

"No… No…", she shook her head and pleaded with Lucas as she began squirming in his arms.

"Hey, calm down… I just want to bring you back to your room, baby", Lucas said, trying to help Brooke relax, yet she began shaking involuntarily.

"Lucas… please…", Brooke begged him with terror, crying even harder and shrinking into his arms.

"What are you so scared of, Brooke?", Lucas genuinely needed to know. In response, Brooke just sobbed louder and buried her head deeper into his shoulder, unable to control her fear or her tears.

Lucas tightened his grip on Brooke's body, feeling frustrated and helpless. He just wanted his pretty girl to stop crying, but despite his efforts to soothe her, she only seemed to be getting more worked up. Just as Lucas' desperation was about to take over him, Dr. Goldstein and Nathan rushed in, squeezing their way into the small bathroom.

"What happened?", Dr. Goldstein immediately asked Lucas as he carefully took Brooke's arm to check her pulse.

"I don't know… She went out of the room for one minute and came back like this…", Lucas quickly and tensely replied, still holding Brooke tightly in his arms.

"Brooke", Dr. Goldstein gently put his hand on her shoulder as he spoke to her, "I need you to tell me what happened", he calmly asked her, but his soothing presence didn't seem to help Brooke settle down.

"Baby, you've gotta talk to us", Lucas pressured, trying to help the doctor, but only causing Brooke to whimper and tense up in his arms.

"Here's what we'll do", Dr. Goldstein quickly spoke out, not wanting to keep his patient stressed out, "I'll give Brooke something to calm her down and we'll let her rest up a little and talk to us later", Dr. Goldstein guided, and both Scott boys nodded, willing to do whatever it would take to help Brooke out. Dr. Goldstein took an injector out of his pocket and filled it up with the contents of a capsule. He took Brooke's upper arm in his hand and as he felt her tense up in his grasp, soothed, "This will only hurt for a second", he promised her, and injected the tranquilizer into her body, causing Brooke to sink weakly into Lucas' arms after several moments. She continued to whimper quietly as she drifted off, until she was finally beaten by the tranquilizer's influence and grew silent.

Lucas glanced down at down at Brooke's face and let out a relieved sigh as he saw her features rest with ease. He tightened his grip on Brooke's limp body and finally led the way back to her room, with Nathan and Dr. Goldstein following right behind him. After the two of them helped Lucas lay Brooke in her bed, they watched him as he caringly adjusted the sheets around Brooke's body and tucked her in.

"Do you know why this could have happened, doctor?", Nathan broke the silence in the room and finally asked what had been on his mind from the moment he saw Brooke's teary face, "I mean- one moment she was completely cheerful, and the next- she was a total mess…".

"I'm not sure", Dr. Goldstein honestly replied, "I…", he began speaking when another person entered the room and cut him off.

"But I am. I know what happened", Lucas, Nathan and Dr. Goldstein raised their eyes to look at Haley, who was standing in the doorway, looking slightly shaken up.

"Well?", Lucas and Nathan looked at her with anticipation, desperately wanting to hear her explanation.

"Dan's here. I saw him in the hallway when I went to look for Keith and Karen and one of the nurses told me he's been here for the past hour, taking tests to make sure he's in a fit physical form, so he can be tried. Brooke must have seen him when she stepped into the corridor, on her way to change", Haley explained what she had found out and suddenly everything made sense to Nathan and Lucas; why Brooke was hysterical, why she was so terrified of going back to the hallway, and why she felt so flooded with a sickening feeling that she needed to throw up. Lucas began caressing Brooke's cheek with his thumb, feeling guilty for not being able to prevent that nightmare of an encounter from taking place.

"I'm so sorry, baby", Lucas told her in a remorseful whisper, truly wishing he could have taken that painful moment away from Brooke. After several moments of silence, Dr. Goldstein's pager suddenly beeped and after he glanced at it, he looked up at the three conscious teens before him.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave right now… If Brooke wakes up before I return and you need assistance with her, call the head nurse, and I promise to come back to check on Brooke as soon as I can", he guided them briefly.

"Thank you, doctor", Lucas looked up at him with genuine gratitude, truly appreciating Dr. Goldstein's attentive care towards his girlfriend. Dr. Goldstein smiled at him shortly, and then rushed out of Brooke's room, onto his next awaiting patient.

The room grew silent again, as all three friends looked at Brooke with caring, concerned eyes, each one of them wishing something could be done in order to make things better for the good-hearted brunette they all cared so much about.

"You guys can go if you want to", Lucas sadly lifted his eyes over to Nathan and Haley, letting them know he would be fine alone with Brooke of they didn't want to stay and witness the emotional conversation he knew he would have to hold with her once she would wake up.

"Absolutely not, Luke", Nathan immediately replied, "We want to be here for her", he said. Of course he and Haley enjoyed seeing Brooke when she was cheerful much more, yet that didn't mean they would run away from her when things got tough.

"We're in this together, Luke", Haley put her hand on her best friend's shoulder and managed to extract a grateful smile from him. Even though he knew things wouldn't be easy once Brooke woke up, at least he knew he wouldn't have to handle them alone. At least he would have his brother and best friend at his side…

* * *

"Luke!", Nathan nudged Lucas, who was dozing off in his seat, next to Brooke's bed, two hours later. In response, Lucas shot up and looked at Nathan with disoriented confusion. Nathan gestured over to Brooke, and Lucas moved his gaze over to her and realized that she was beginning to wake up. He immediately sprang to his feet and stepped up to Brooke, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb as her eyelids began fluttering and her body shifted slightly.

Brooke soon opened her eyes and looked up at Lucas, who was smiling at her reassuringly, caressing her cheek with gentle strokes. She sank deep into his gaze, his blue orbs hypnotizing her hazel ones, and just silently looked at him as she slowly regained awareness of her surroundings. The feeling of safety she was filled with upon waking up and seeing Lucas at her side faded in an instant, when she remembered what had happened before she drifted off. Her eyes filled with panic and she sprang up to a sitting position, clenching onto her blankets in fear and looking towards the hallway with terror in her eyes.

"Brooke, calm down… It's alright", Lucas grabbed hold of her shoulders and tried to calm her down, but Brooke's eyes filled up with tears as she began reliving the traumatic experience of practically banging into the man that had attacked her all by herself, when she had nobody to protect her from him.

"No, Luke… You don't understand", Brooke sobbed and Lucas, who could feel her body beginning to involuntarily shake, squeezed her shoulders.

"Yes I do, baby. I know what happened and I am really, really sorry that I couldn't have prevented you from seeing Dan like that", Lucas told Brooke, who completely broke down upon hearing her attacker's name, feeling all the nauseating feelings she was filled with upon encountering him rising again. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed like a child, unable to control herself. Lucas, who felt his heart breaking at the sight of Brooke crying hysterically in front of him, gently pulled her trembling body against him and closed his arms around her.

"Shh… It's alright now, baby… He can't hurt you…", Lucas whispered into Brooke's ear, rubbing up and down her back with his hand as he rocked her soothingly.

"I'm scared, Luke…", Brooke confessed in a little voice, causing Lucas to tighten his grip on her body as he felt his heart twitch. He never wanted the girl he loved to feel sad or frightened, and seeing her admitting in tears that she was afraid was truly horrible for him.

"Hey… It's O.K…. I promise you that you'll never have to see him again, baby", Lucas squeezed her to him as she muffled yet another whimper into his shirt.

"You… You can't say that for sure, Luke…", Brooke replied, sobbing again. She suddenly realized how desperate she must be making Lucas, if he was making promises she couldn't see how he could keep, and it made her feel like the worst person in the world. She didn't mean to keep throwing her troubles at Lucas, she just had so much to handle and he was always there, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. Only now did she stop to think what everything that had happened must have been doing to him and it made her cry even harder. Brooke tried to pull away from Lucas, ashamed, but he grabbed onto her arms and made her face him.

"Hey, look at me", when Brooke didn't cooperate, Lucas kept one hand on her shoulder, keeping her in her place, and used the other to gently tilt her chin up, "Look at me", he asked her, and Brooke's wet hazel eyes were met with Lucas' sincere, honest ones, "I _promise_ you that you won't have to see him again, Brooke", he swore and Brooke remained speechless for several moments, realizing that Lucas wasn't speaking with desperation at all, but with a confident conviction that made her believe in what he had told her. She continued staring into his eyes, seeing how sure he was about what he had said, but not understanding where that confidence was coming from.

"How do you know that?", Brooke asked in a shaky voice, her eyes still glued to Lucas', looking at him with questioning confusion. When Lucas failed to respond, Nathan came up to Brooke and put his hand on her fragile shoulder, making her face him.

"Brooke, my dad's going on trial for everything he had done. With the amount of crimes he had committed, we're looking at 45 years in prison at the least", he quietly informed her. Brooke kept on looking at him for a moment and then let her eyes slip into space as she tried to digest what Nathan had told her. Nathan squeezed her shoulders and watched her worriedly, wondering whether he made the wrong choice by telling her the truth, when she lifted her eyes up to him and then moved them over to look at Lucas.

"Luke, I want to go to the trial", Brooke told Lucas plainly, causing him to look at her with astonishment.

"Absolutely not, Brooke!", Lucas immediately replied, not even willing to think about Brooke, in her fragile condition, having to face a room full of people who discuss the awful things she had been through.

"I need this, Luke", Brooke's voice grew shaky, yet contained her unsettling, stubborn determination. She looked into Lucas' eyes with tears glimmering in hers, trying to make him realize how important her request was to her, yet Lucas wouldn't hear of it.

"What do you need, Brooke? Do you need to relive everything Dan had done to you?! Do you need to look at the face of the man who put you in the hospital and see that he still has that smug smirk on his face? Or do you need to hear the details of your attack again? This is what the trial will be like, so do you still think that this is really what you need, Brooke?! Because I don't think it is...", Lucas realized that he was being harsh towards Brooke, but felt like he truly needed her to understand how upsetting the trial could be for her.

"Lucas!", Nathan scolded his brother, shocked by his ruthless behavior. Even though he knew Lucas had a point, he couldn't believe that Lucas would be so insensitive towards Brooke, especially in the fragile condition she undoubtedly was in. As he watched Brooke fight more tears back, he squeezed her shoulder one more time, wanting to convey his support for her. He was about to yell at Lucas some more, when Brooke took a deep breath and spoke, causing him to grow silent.

"I just... I really need to see him taken to jail with my own eyes, Luke", Brooke said in a trembling voice, holding her sobs in with a lot of effort, "Only that way I'll believe it and be able to feel safe again...", she lowered her gaze to the floor and spoke the last part of the sentence in a small, ashamed voice, yet her three friends understood every word and truly wanted to hug their lost friend and protect her bruised heart, which she had just laid out for them to see. Lucas came up to Brooke and cupped her cheek, gently wiping the tears that were now flowing freely from her eyes.

"Don't cry, baby... I'm sorry", He said to her softly, regretting having made her cry. Brooke sniffled and tried to get a grip over herself, but simply couldn't control her tears. She forcefully bit her lip, furiously trying to hold her sobs in, but they soon escaped through her lips, nonetheless."Come here", Lucas opened his arms for her and Brooke let herself into his embrace, allowing her sobs to take over her once she was safely enveloped in Lucas' arms. "Please don't cry, Brooke. I'm sorry", Lucas repeated in a broken voice, unable to stand the sight of his pretty girl crying anymore. He now understood why Brooke felt the need to be present during the trial, and after hearing her explanation, could never say no to her. As Lucas rocked Brooke in his arms and stroked her smooth brown hair soothingly, he vowed that he would think of a way to allow Brooke to be in the court, yet remain from being sucked back into the trauma she went through.

"We'll work it out, Brooke, I promise... It'll be O.K...", If seeing Dan being taken to jail was what it took for Brooke to feel safe again, he would do whatever it took to enable her to witness that. As he heard Brooke whimper softly into his chest, Lucas gestured to Nathan and Haley, and the two of them immediately came up to Brooke and hugged her as well, now burying her in a big hug, surrounding her from every direction.

Held by her three closest friends, Brooke finally managed to calm herself down. She was still shaken up from that day's encounter with Dan, she was still completely terrified of him, but at that moment, with her friends holding her tightly and lovingly, Brooke finally felt safe and was able to believe that things could go back to normal again, things could eventually be alright...

* * *

**AN: O.K., so most of you guessed correctly as to what upset Brooke, but I hope you still enjoyed reading how things played out in my head. I definitely enjoyed reading your guesses! lol... Especially those who thought that Brooke's behavior had something to do with her shirt... I found that really funny, because I really didn't mean for Naley's gift to play a role in anything, and never thought anyone would think it had to do anything with that... I just guess that some of you are more creative than me... ;-) As always- I'd love it if you shared your thoughts with me!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi guys! I had a huge dilemma regarding this chapter, as I had two opposite ideas regarding it, but in the end this is what I decided to do... I hope you'll enjoy this, and as always- I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 24**

The expression on the judge's face was the most sinister one Brooke had ever seen. She squirmed in her seat and let out a nervous, shaky breath, feeling extremely tense. She looked to her left and groaned as she noticed that Lucas, who had exited the courtroom several moments earlier with the promise to return shortly, still hadn't come back to her side. Brooke truly wished he would hurry. It was almost time, and she truly needed Lucas by her side.

"Order… Order in the court!", the judge loudly demanded as he banged his mallet against his wooden desk. Brooke nervously looked over to the courtroom's entrance doors and tensely sighed as she still saw no sign of Lucas.

"_Why did he have to disappear __now__?"_, Brooke wondered to herself as she felt her body begin to involuntarily tremble. Listening to Dan's verdict was stressful as it was, but she truly didn't think she could do it on her own, without Lucas at her side. Her eyes filled up with panic once she noticed one of the security men closing the courtroom's doors, signaling that the judge was about to speak. She frantically looked through the room, desperately hoping that Lucas had somehow managed to slip inside when she didn't notice, only to realize that he simply wasn't there, and that she would have to hear the verdict and see Dan alone.

Brooke shrunk into her seat, her body beginning to shake more forcefully with every passing moment. She felt the stinging feeling of panic coursing through her body and making her heart twitch tensely. She suddenly felt out of place, like a child who had accidentally walked into the wrong classroom and was forced to remain there because the teacher had already walked in. As she glanced over to the barricaded doors and still saw no sign of Lucas, her tension increased even more, making her feel trapped in the closed courtroom.

Brooke took a deep breath, trying to calm down her racing heart and trembling body when the doors suddenly swiftly opened and then closed back up with a thump. She hopefully looked over to them, praying that Lucas had managed to return at the last second, but felt her stomach drop as she saw who really entered the courtroom. Accompanied by a number of cops who led him to the front of the courtroom was a handcuffed Dan Scott. Even though he couldn't do anything to her with his hands tied and with all those cops surrounding him, Brooke felt waves of terror shocking her body as Dan was rushed past her and flashed her his signature smirk, just as Lucas had warned her he would. Brooke anxiously looked over to the entrance doors once more, which had been closed again now, and groaned with frustration as she realized that Lucas had definitely missed his chance to reenter the room.

"_Great…"_, Brooke thought to herself, feeling her body beginning to shake even more. Sitting alone in the courtroom was bad enough before, but now that Dan was closed up in the same room as her, Brooke almost felt as though it couldn't get worse. She now truly regretted her insistence to come to the courtroom, but knew that there was nothing she could do. Trying to ignore the rising nauseating feelings she was beginning to feel, Brooke convinced herself that once the verdict would be announced and she would witness Dan being taken away, everything would be alright.

"Order in the court!", the judge repeated, glaring at those present who were speaking and instantly the room became quiet, eerily quiet. Brooke could now hear her loud and quick heartbeats and uneven breaths and hung her head down, desperately trying to detach herself from everything that was happening around her. Images of Dan's violent actions towards her from the cabin began to swirl in her head, causing Brooke to furiously rub her face in an attempt to rid herself of them. She truly felt as though she was about to suffocate.

"In the case of the state of North Carolina versus Dan Scott", Brooke suddenly heard the judge say. She forced herself to look up at the judge, telling herself that she had to treasure the moment in which her attacker's liberty was taken. The judge paused for a moment, which seemed to stretch out forever, as he flipped through some papers before him, and Brooke couldn't help but notice how alertly attentive everyone in the room became. Her eyes accidentally glanced at Dan for a second, and even though she immediately shifted them away from him, she couldn't help but notice that despite his attentiveness, Dan seemed surprisingly calm relatively to a man whose verdict was about to be announced. His confidence was beginning to make Brooke question her own assurance regarding his sentence, but as the judge looked back up from his papers, any thought flew out of Brooke's head.

"_This is it…"_, Brooke didn't know whether it was excitement or nervousness, but whatever it was, it made her heart pound against her chest like crazy.

"In the case of the state of North Carolina versus Dan Scott", the judge repeated and now the room was completely silent as everyone awaited to hear what he had to say, "I found Dan Scott _not_ guilty", the judge announced.

"What?!", Brooke exclaimed, as she felt her stomach drop and a queasy feeling take over her. She thought she had heard wrong, but as she looked at people's shocked expressions and at Dan's satisfied grin, she understood that what she had heard was indeed true.

"_How can this be?!"_, Brooke just couldn't believe what had just happened. There were witnesses, such as Nathan and Keith, who had seen Dan's actions with their own eyes. There were cops, who stood and testified against him. There was a phone call, whose receiver actually heard her crying for help as Dan forced himself onto her. So Brooke didn't understand how it was possible that Dan was getting away with everything he had done to her. All of the sounds and sights around her were a blur to Brooke, and even though she felt as though she was about to collapse, she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of the isle leading to the front of the courtroom.

"How could you say he's not guilty?!", Brooke was still completely shocked and barely standing on her shaky legs, but she somehow managed to yell at the judge with a broken voice, "He **did** all those things to me!", she tried to make her words sink in, yet the judge simply gazed at her, unimpressed and didn't seem to feel any sympathy towards the now crying girl that was struggling to stand before him.

"The suspect may be released", was what he finally said in response, causing the security men to come up to Dan and untie his handcuffed hands.

Brooke felt her knees buckling under her, and managed to grab onto one of the courtroom's benches moments before she fell to the ground. "You have to believe me!", Brooke pleaded with the judge, crying her heart out, "He did it! He really did it!", she sobbed, watching Dan with horror-filled eyes as he took a step away from the security men after they finished untying him.

"This case is adjourned", the judge concluded, not paying any attention to Brooke. He stepped out of his seat and walked off, passing by Brooke without even looking at her, as if she didn't even exist.

"You can't just let him go… He is guilty of everything!", Brooke tried to grab onto the judge's sleeve, begging him to listen to her, but he simply shook her off and walked away, causing Brooke to loose her balance, but regain her hold on the bench at the last moment. She leaned on it, crying uncontrollable and simply not grasping that her attacker was being set free.

"No… No!", She sobbed, refusing to accept what she had just witnessed. She simply refused to believe that Dan was getting away with everything he had done to her without being punished. She lifted her eyes and to her terror, saw Dan beginning to approach her, his face wearing a huge smug smirk.

"No!", Brooke screamed, now completely terrified. She wanted to run away, but was too weak and felt as if the ground was moving under her. She was immediately brought back to the helpless feeling she felt in the cabin, when Dan had hurt her and she was powerless to stop him.

"Brooke… Brooke…", Brooke felt strong hands grab her and shake her, but the only thing she could focus on was the sight of Dan growing closer and closer to her, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction.

"No! Stay away from me!", Brooke shouted fearfully, crying so hard her body started to hurt.

"Brooke!", the person who was holding onto her shook her again, but Brooke's eyes were set on Dan, who was merely inches away from her now. As Dan extended his hand towards her, Brooke closed her eyes and screamed with terror, feeling her knees give out.

"Brooke! Brooke!", she could now recognize the voice who was calling out for her as Lucas'. She felt herself falling down, but instead of hitting the ground, she felt a pair of strong arms grab onto her. She shot up and opened her eyes, gasping for air and looking at her surroundings with fear.

"Where is he?", Brooke asked with horror and confusion. As she struggled to even out her breaths and calm down her racing heart, she looked around and couldn't understand what she was suddenly doing in her hospital room.

"Calm down, Brooke, you just had a bad dream", Lucas told her soothingly. Brooke seemed disoriented for several moments, still panting and looking around herself with a skeptic and frightened look. She still had tears streaming down her cheeks, but as Lucas carefully brought her to him and securely pressed her trembling frame against him, she was finally convinced that the horrible trial that seemed so real to her was simply a nightmare, just a bad dream.

Brooke let out a soft cry and clenched onto Lucas' shirt as she began to sob quietly against his chest. All the tension that surrounded her due to Dan's trial was causing her to become emotionally drained, and now she felt as if she was loosing it as she thought about how deeply a simply dream managed to affect her.

"Shh… It's alright, babe…", Lucas tried to calm Brooke down. He closed his arms around her small body and kissed her on the top of her head, truly praying that he could help her relax.

"It just… it seemed so real, Luke…", Brooke whimpered into his shirt as she continued to cry weakly.

"I could tell", he told her honestly, "You almost threw yourself off the bed…", Lucas said to Brooke, causing a small laugh to mix with her cries. Lucas smiled as he saw Brooke's dimples coming into view for a short second, but felt his heart breaking as she buried her face back into his chest and continued to cry, unable to stop herself.

"Do you want to talk about it?", he rubbed Brooke's shoulders and gently asked her, not wanting to upset her, yet truly wishing he knew what had upset her so much.

"I…", Brooke croaked, but as she tried to put her dream into words, her soft cries became stronger and she was no longer whimpering, but now sobbing loudly.

"Hey, calm down, baby…", the last thing Lucas intended was to cause Brooke more distress, "It's O.K…. Everything's O.K….", he whispered into her ear, stroking her shoulders and back. He could feel Brooke's muscles tense up from under her thin hospital gown, and carefully slipped his fingers under the light material to squeeze Brooke's shoulders supportively. "Whatever it is, we'll get through this…", Lucas promised Brooke as he kept on stroking her upper back and shoulders with one hand and holding her to him with the other.

"Do you think there's a chance that Dan would be set free?", Brooke squeaked out in a little voice, and Lucas immediately understood what her horrible dream was about. He pulled her to him protectively and tightened his grasp on her.

"No… No way", he told her confidently. His assurance made Brooke feel slightly better and she gradually managed to get a grip on herself. Her body slowly stopped shaking and her cries died out, and she finally sniffled and pulled away from Lucas to look at his face.

"Thank you", she said to him shyly, in her vulnerable, raspy voice, "I needed to hear that", her eyes slipped away from his, as she became ashamed of feeling so weak.

"Hey", Lucas tilted her head up, causing her eyes to meet his again, "He's not gonna hurt you again, Brooke, I swear", he told her, and the look he was giving her made Brooke believe Lucas wholeheartedly.

"I don't know what I would have done without you", Brooke sighed as she thought back to her nightmare, were she didn't have Lucas by her side.

"You'll never have to find out, Brooke, I promise you", he told her seriously, and something in his sincere tone finally put a smile on Brooke's face.

"What is it?", Lucas couldn't help but smile back at Brooke as he caressed her cheek, letting his fingers slip into the dent of Brooke's dimple.

"I love you, Broody", Brooke told him, leaning into his touch.

"I love you too, babe", Lucas replied, leaning down to give the girl he loved a peck on the lips before he buried her in his arms again and held her to him until she fell into a peaceful, nightmare-free sleep…

* * *

It was the final day of the trial, in which Dan's verdict was truly about to be announced. Lucas was able to convince Brooke to keep out of the trial itself and only come to hear the verdict, as he knew that listening to all of the testimonies regarding her case was bound to upset her. He himself found it hard to keep it together during parts of the trial, and would come to the hospital at the end of every day and simply hold onto Brooke in silence and refuse to let her go. Brooke would let Lucas hug her for as long as he needed, always running her gentle fingers through his hair, soothing him silently as he had done to her so many times. When Karen and Keith would come in to check on them, it would sometimes be hard to tell who was comforting who, as they were both wrapped in each others arms, barely uttering a word but holding onto each other for dear life. They had grown so close in that emotional time that Keith and Karen couldn't help but smile as they watched the two teenagers and admired their mature relationship, which, even though shaded by horrific events, had managed to blossom into something so beautiful. Inspired by the young love and needing a shoulder to lean on during the tough trial, Karen and Keith had also grown close to one another. Keith would end up sleeping on Karen's living room couch almost every night, claiming to want to watch over her during the nerve-wrecking time, but truly seeking a feeling of stability for himself, which Karen's inviting home always seemed to create for him. During one of the most emotional trial days, an attempt by Karen to comfort Keith resulted in a kiss, and ever since, the two were quickly becoming a couple again. They would have their meals together, usually along with Brooke and Lucas, at the hospital, and Lucas couldn't help but feel like he had the perfect family- with his mother, the only father he had ever had, and the girl he loved. There was nothing more he could wish for, nothing except for Brooke to recover completely and for Dan's verdict to be as harsh as he hoped it would be. With Dan's verdict about to be declared, Lucas thought at that morning as he helped Brooke get ready to go, he would soon only have to worry about nursing Brooke back to health. He looked at the brunette as she changed from her hospital clothes into simple everyday clothes, and smiled, knowing that things were bound to get better after they got back from court. Even though Brooke would still have to stay in the hospital for a bit longer, he was sure that her recovery would speed up once she knew she wouldn't have to worry about facing her attacker after being released from the hospital.

"Are you ready?", Lucas stretched out his arm for Brooke and she took it and nodded, allowing him to lead her out of the hospital room, towards the courtroom where she would hopefully have to face Dan Scott for the last time in her entire life…

* * *

**AN: lol... I hope you don't hate me after that dream version of the trial... ;-) The real verdict will be in the next chapter and I promise that it would be nothing like Brooke's nightmare... This is all for now! ;-)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi guys! I have to tell you that your reviews totally blew me away this time! Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed (including the lovely Shana- who once again, I couldn't personally thank...)- it truly means everything to me! I really hope that this chapter will be just as enjoyable for all of you! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 25**

As Keith parked the car in the court's parking lot, Lucas sensed Brooke tense up by his side, in the back seat. He took her hand and squeezed it tightly, as if to say that he was there, that he would never dare to leave her. Brooke turned to face him and forced a nervous smile, as if to say that she was alright, but as Lucas noticed that her dimples were missing from her cheeks, he could tell that this was far from the truth.

"I'm right here, Brooke", he reminded her, and Brooke let out a tense sigh, grateful for Lucas' supportive presence, yet unable to shake off her anxiety. Lucas had picked up on that and, unable to help but feel protective of her, pulled Brooke out after him as he exited the car, not wanting to let go of her trembling hand even for a moment.

Lucas pulled Brooke to his side and held her close as they entered the big court. He watched Brooke hesitantly stepping into the huge building and widening her eyes as she took in its size. He, too, was taken aback by how large the building was when he first came into it and could see how small and vulnerable Brooke felt from the look in her eyes. Lucas tightened his grasp on her and gently led her ahead, towards the courtroom in which Dan's trial was held. As they were about to enter the room, Brooke peeked inside and was shocked by how much it resembled the courtroom from her dream. She froze in her place, unable to advance further, and looked ahead with terror in her eyes. She suddenly regretted having come to the trial, as she began reliving her nightmare and felt as though she was about to fall apart just from thinking about the possibility that it would come to life.

"Luke…", Brooke planted her feet in the ground and called out his name in desperation as he tried to guide her forwards into the courtroom. She could no longer pretend that she could keep it together.

"Brooke, are you alright?", Lucas gently asked Brooke, looking down at her pale face with concern.

Brooke simply lifted her eyes and looked at Lucas helplessly, and Lucas' heart broke as he observed how distressed and miserable she seemed.

"Do you want me to take you away from here?", Lucas suggested in a serious tone, keeping his eyes locked on Brooke's and looking intently at her, as if to tell her that there was no reason to be ashamed if she couldn't handle the tension of the trial. In response, Brooke shook her head. She did feel the urge to leave the court, but didn't want to continue running away from her fears. Brooke realized that it was time to face them head on.

"O.K…. Then what can I do to help?", Lucas genuinely asked Brooke, wanting to erase the frightened look from her eyes.

"Please don't leave me alone today", was all Brooke wanted to ask of Lucas. She looked at him with desperation, needing him to promise her that he would remain by her side so she could calm down and convince herself that her nightmare could never become true.

"Never", Lucas looked deeply into Brooke's pleading eyes and answered her with such certainty, that the panic immediately faded from her eyes. "I'll be right by your side the whole time. I promise…", Lucas told Brooke, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. Brooke sighed in relief, feeling some of her tension ease, and leaned her head against Lucas' chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her.

"Thank you, boyfriend…", Brooke mumbled into his shirt, causing Lucas to smile and kiss her on the top of her head.

"Anything for you, babe", he told her honestly, tightening his grasp on her for a short moment before letting go of her and regaining his grasp on her hand. "Are you ready?", Lucas asked Brooke as he gestured to the courtroom, studying her face carefully to make sure she was indeed strong enough to sit through the hearing. Brooke nodded, forcing another smile, yet this time Lucas could tell she was much more at ease as he spotted a hint of her dimples on her cheeks. He squeezed Brooke's hand one more time and carefully led her into the room, helping her sit down in one of the back rows, where she wouldn't draw any unwanted attention or be too close to Dan's seat in the front.

"I can't believe that this is it…", Brooke whispered to Lucas as she leaned against his strong body and felt him wrap an arm around her shoulders. She suddenly shivered, thinking about everything she had been through, but as Keith and Karen took a seat by her other side, Brooke slightly relaxed. When Haley and Nathan sat down right behind her and each one of them put a hand on her back, for support, Brooke managed to genuinely smile back at them. She was surrounded by all the people she cared most about, who supported her through the tough days she had gone through, and once again they managed to make her feel safe.

As the judge climbed into his seat, Brooke let out a tense sigh. His similarity to the judge she had dreamt about was truly striking, and Brooke began to fear that this was a bad sign about what was up to come.

"Are you holding up alright?", Brooke heard Lucas lean down and whisper into her ear. With her eyes still glued to the judge arranging his papers in his place, she replied.

"I'm just hoping that he won't let Dan get away with everything he's done…", Brooke confessed her deepest fear, causing Lucas to tighten his grasp on her protectively.

"Brooke…", he called her name, causing her eyes to shift over to his hypnotizing blue ones, "It was just a dream…", he said softly, wanting to reassure her that it was going to be alright in reality.

"I know", Brooke replied quietly, closing her eyes as Lucas leaned forwards to kiss her forehead. She did realize that her nightmare wasn't real, but if Lucas wouldn't have been by her side, her fear would have overtaken her, nonetheless. She leaned back into Lucas' arms with a sigh and felt him beginning to run his hands through her silky, brown hair soothingly.

Lucas felt Brooke's body melt into his side, relaxing slightly, and kissed her on top of her head.

"Babe, if you wanna leave at some point, just tell me, O.K.?", Lucas whispered into Brooke's hair before kissing it again, and Brooke simply nodded, glad to have Lucas' support. They sat there quietly, yet Brooke enjoyed simply resting against Lucas in silence, without burdening her head with putting her feelings into words.

Suddenly, everyone could hear voices from the entrance of the courtroom. Before Brooke could turn around and see what was going on, she heard people around her gasp and whisper to one another. As she heard a group of footsteps making their way towards her, she spun around to look at who was coming, and paled at the sight.

"Oh my god…", Brooke mumbled, and then her voice hitched in her throat. She realized that she most certainly wasn't prepared to face Dan Scott again as she watched him march towards her, accompanied by several cops. As Lucas tightened his grasp on her, Brooke's gaze fell on Dan's, who, just like in her dream, sent her a wicked smirk.

"Lucas…", Brooke searched for his hand as her eyes looked at Dan with terror, and Lucas was quick to intertwine his fingers with her trembling ones.

"Don't let him get to you… He won't be smiling for long", Nathan, who saw how his father's entrance affected Brooke, bent towards her and whispered into her ear. Brooke nodded, shrinking into Lucas' arms as Dan walked past her. Nathan squeezed her shoulders supportively and only let go when he felt Brooke relax, as Dan was seated in the front row of the courtroom, as far away from her as possible.

"Are you O.K.?", Nathan asked Brooke quietly, and she turned to face him and nodded, forcing a smile.

"Thanks, Nate", she said to him, truly appreciating his support throughout everything she had been through. Nathan smiled back, and when they heard the judge tap his mallet against his table, let go of each other's gazes and focused on the front of the room.

"Order in the court!", the judge demanded and the room grew so silent that Lucas could distinctly hear Brooke's nervous, uneven breaths. He brought her closer to him and began rubbing the side of her body that wasn't attached to him. As he felt Brooke's fragile figure trembling against him, Lucas worriedly looked down at her. He was about to, yet again, suggest that they leave, but as he saw Brooke's eyes fixated on the judge with a mixture of fear and anticipation, decided to keep quiet. Lucas understood that staying in the courtroom was an inevitable step in Brooke's healing process, from which he couldn't protect her.

"In the case of the state of North Carolina versus Dan Scott, I have reached a verdict", the judge said, shaking everyone out of their thoughts. A tense silence filled the courtroom as the people present in it waited for the judge to reveal what he had decided. Brooke unconsciously squeezed Lucas' hand as she looked at the judge alertly. As she realized that the moment she was waiting for and dreading most at the same time was finally coming, she felt her speeding heartbeats becoming even stronger and faster. As she saw the judge lift his eyes up to the crowd, Brooke let out a tense breath and sat up straight, waiting for him to finally tell her what Dan's fate would be.

"I found Dan Scott guilty of all of the crimes he was accused of committing", the judge said, giving Dan a sinister glare. As Brooke heard his words she couldn't help but smile and tear up at the same time. She kept letting out deep breaths, but no longer tense ones, but relieved ones instead.

"Are you alright?", Lucas noticed Brooke's teary eyes and questioned, rubbing her back up and down gently. Brooke nodded without shifting her eyes away from the judge and brushed away some of her tears as new ones kept forming in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She was so glad that despite the fact that she was crying in the real hearing too, her tears were tears of joy and not of anger and fear, like the ones she cried in her dream. Brooke felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest, causing her to finally be able to breathe better, yet she knew that her relief could only be perfect once she learned what punishment Dan was going to receive for abusing her like he had done. As if on cue, the judge began to speak again, giving her the answers that she had been waiting for.

"I sentence Dan Scott for life in prison for committing the following crimes; attempted murder of Brooke Davis and Nathan Scott, abducting and holding his victim, Brooke Davis, hostage, raping and physically harming his victim, attacking cops on duty and committing financial fraud. There will be no possibility to bail Dan Scott out, and he will immediately begin to serve his sentence", the judge finished his speech by slamming his mallet against his desk and giving Dan a disgusted glare. As the security men that surrounded Dan handcuffed him, the judge climbed out of his seat and left, signaling that he was finished with the case.

Instantly, Lucas, Karen, Keith, Haley and Nathan all circled Brooke and looked at her worriedly. Of course they knew that she had to be glad to hear that she will never see Dan again in her entire life, yet they all realized that hearing everything Dan had done to her in such a harsh way was potentially extremely upsetting.

Brooke did seem to be overwhelmed, but from the moment she heard Dan's verdict, her ears blocked out everything else. As the judge listed Dan's crimes, she simply looked at him with glimmering eyes, unable to believe that the nightmare she had lived through for those past few weeks had finally truly come to an end. Brooke just sat in her place, speechless and pretty shocked, and watched through her tears as Dan was being taken away by the security men.

"Brooke?", she suddenly heard Lucas worriedly call her name and gently place his hand on her shoulder. Still smiling and crying at once, Brooke couldn't bring herself to remove her eyes away from Dan as she watched him being led to prison, where his freedom and ability to harm her would be both taken away from him. Dan's eyes suddenly met Brooke's, and even though his gaze expressed hatred and malice, Brooke suddenly wasn't as scared of him as she was merely moments earlier. She could feel her body refuel itself with the confidence she always had, which she had lacked ever since Dan harmed her, and let out a relieved sigh, feeling as though she was finally picking up the pieces to her shattered life again.

"Honey, are you alright?", Brooke suddenly heard Karen ask her with concern as Dan left the courtroom and vanished from her sight. She lifted her hazel eyes up, and was instantly met with Karen, Keith and Lucas' worried expressions and just then noticed that Haley and Nathan's hands were stroking her back softly. Only then did Brooke realize that she had spaced out and hadn't been responding to any of the attempts to communicate with her.

Brooke quickly wiped her tears and nodded to Karen, not wanting to keep her worried, but as her gaze shifted over to Lucas' loving, compassionate eyes, and saw the sadness that would always taint them when he would see her crying, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Come here…", Lucas immediately enveloped Brooke in a huge hug, kissing her shoulders as she shook against his body. He couldn't tell if Brooke was crying because she was shaken up or because she was happy, but feeling her little hands grabbing him as she sobbed caused Lucas' eyes to become moist, regardless of the reason for Brooke's tears.

"It's finally over, Luke…", Brooke choked out to Lucas in between her sobs, and Lucas realized that Brooke was filled with joy, relief, exhaustion and shock all at once. He observed that Brooke had been bravely holding her emotions inside for the entire day, and understood that she simply needed to let it all out, now that she could afford to do so without the risk of falling apart.

"I know, babe…", Lucas replied to her softly, sniffling and pushing back his tears as Brooke let out heart-wrenching sobs in his arms. Soon, he could no longer control himself either and allowed his own tears to quietly fall down his cheeks. Those past few weeks were so rough on his, between witnessing Dan hurt Brooke, having to face his father in the courtroom after what he had done, and watching Brooke lay in a hospital room, that he truly couldn't believe he would now be able to put everything behind him and prepare to go back to his life soon. It was what Lucas had been wishing for all those weeks, but now that the trial was finally behind him, he was almost as overwhelmed as Brooke was.

Lucas squeezed Brooke's body tightly and whispered to her in a shaky voice, "It's gonna be alright from now on, Brooke, I promise".

"I know Broody, don't cry…", Brooke softly said to him as she drew apart from his hug, after finally managing to restrain her sobs. She gently wiped Lucas' tears away from his cheeks and pushed herself to shine him a reassuring smile, as if to tell him that she was alright now, that everything was alright now. As she suddenly regained awareness of Keith, Karen, Nathan and Haley's presence, Brooke slightly moved away from Lucas to allow Karen access to her son. She watched the two from the side and couldn't help but smile through her still quivering lips as she saw Karen embrace Lucas and rub his back with her soothing, motherly touch.

"Are you O.K., sweetie?", as Brooke sniffled when another wave of mixed emotions hit her, she felt Keith come up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm perfect, uncle Keith…", Brooke sent him a beaming smile as shiny tears kept slipping out of her eyes. She let out a half laugh-half cry as she wiped her eyes and struggled to stop crying, but simply couldn't control herself.

"It's O.K., Brooke. It's an emotional day for all of us…", Keith pulled her in for a hug, trying to comfort her and erase the shameful look he saw in her eyes. Brooke nodded in his arms, gradually managing to relax and calm down.

"It's a good thing I didn't put any makeup on today. I would have been a mess…", Brooke said as she drew apart from Keith, causing all of those present to burst out laughing as they realized that the bubbly Brooke they loved so much was finally coming back.

"Sorry to break it to you, Davis, but you already are…", Nathan jokingly said to Brooke, receiving a playful glare from Haley.

"Don't mess with my girl, Nate…", Lucas pretended to threaten his brother, pointing his finger at him in a fake intimidating gesture, as Brooke slid towards Nathan and tried to smack him jokingly, but lost her balance in the process.

"Are you O.K.?", Nathan was quick to catch Brooke. His playful expression was immediately replaced with a concerned one, as he helped Brooke stand steadily and get rid of her dizziness.

"Yeah… I'm fine…", Brooke blinked several times, slowly regaining her balance. Everyone watched her worriedly until she lifted her eyes and looked at Nathan with her mischievous grin, "But as a punishment for what you said, you have to give me a piggyback ride to the car!", Brooke told Nathan, causing everyone to laugh in relief as they realized that Brooke was alright, despite everything.

"You asked for it…", Nathan shrugged with a grin before he tossed Brooke onto his back, causing her to shriek with surprise. Karen and Keith shook their heads with amused smiles as they watched the young adults before them happily run over to the parking lot, laughing as if they didn't have a care in the world anymore.

"Did you talk to Brooke yet?", Keith finally shifted his gaze over to Karen as the two of them slowly made their way over to their car as well.

"No. She had enough drama for today… I didn't want to add any more stress to that poor girl…", Karen quietly told Keith in response.

"Karen, you can't wait with this forever…", Keith reminded Karen gently, and then suggested, "Would you like me to talk to her instead?".

"No, I'll do it…", Karen shook her head in response, "But at least for today, let them be happy…", Karen said as her son and his friends came back to her view. As the two of them quietly advanced towards the four teens, Keith kept his eyes on Brooke. He felt his heart twitching as he saw her laughing so joyfully and thought about how the news he and Karen bore would probably devastate her.

"You're right…", Keith replied, "Brooke and Lucas definitely deserve to have at least a few happy days…".

* * *

**AN: Don't hate me for the small cliffhanger... I will almost definitely reveal what Karen and Keith were talking about in the next chapter. I truly hope that the real trial was as good as you expected it to be and that I didn't disappoint you with it. I truly tried to include characters other than Brucas in this chapter, so all of you Naley lovers will be satisfied, so I hope I did O.K... As always- please tell me what you think! ;-)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi guys! Thanks so much for your wonderful responses to my last chapter! I tried to include some romance between Brooke and Lucas, for all of you guys who have been asking me to see some of that! I truly hope that you'll enjoy this, and will be glad to hear what you thought, as always!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 26**

After Brooke managed to convince Keith and Karen to take some time off from being in the hospital with her and share some quiet time with one another, she climbed into Nathan and Haley's car, and together with Lucas, they all drove back to the hospital.

Throughout the entire ride, Nathan, Haley and Lucas tried to joke around as much as possible in order to keep Brooke's spirits up, as they knew how much she didn't want to go back to the hospital, and Brooke played along with them, appreciating their attempts, but unable to keep some of the sadness from rising up and filling her chest. Her friends noticed Brooke's sudden quietness, and after Nathan parked up the car, he lifted Brooke back up onto his back and carried her over to her room, in a partially successful attempt to cause her to smile and be happy again.

"Alright, Nate, you can put me down already…", as they reached the general ward's floor, Brooke wiggled in an attempt to get off of Nathan's back, but he only tightened his grip on her and hastened up his steps. "Nate!", Brooke giggled when he playfully ran from one side of the corridor to the other with her on his back, finally succeeding in his tries to lift Brooke's spirits up. Nathan chuckled and entered Brooke's room at last, carefully setting Brooke on the floor and only letting go of her after he was certain that she was standing steadily.

"Well… Now I don't have to go to the gym anymore today… Thanks Brooke!", Nathan stretched his arms and teasingly said to Brooke, who gasped with disbelief in response.

"Oh my god!", she exclaimed, causing Nathan, Lucas and Haley to burst into a fit of laughs, "Did you just call me fat?!", she looked at Nathan with widened eyes, unable to believe her ears.

"Oh, come on, Brooke- you're not fat- you're perfect", Haley was quick to dismiss what her husband might have implied.

"Well… I don't know about _perfect_…", Nathan pretended to study Brooke and then scrunched his face up, causing Brooke to open her mouth with shock.

"Did you see how your husband just treated me, Haley?!", Brooke looked at her friend with astonishment, causing Haley to smack her husband lightly.

"Don't worry, tigger, he will be punished for this later…", Haley promised Brooke, causing her to raise her eyebrow mischievously.

"That sounds kind of kinky, tutor girl…", she said in a naughty voice, causing Nathan and Haley to look at each other seductively and then laugh, and Lucas to close his eyes with horror at the same time.

"O.K., I don't wanna hear that!", he called out with disgust, causing his three friends to laugh even harder than before.

"Why, Luke, are you jealous?", Brooke gave Lucas a playful look, causing him to blush, much to his friends' entertainment.

"Brooke – that's my brother and Hales we're talking about – I really don't wanna picture that!", Lucas replied, mortified, as he tried to shake off the images that invaded his head.

"Come on, Luke, don't be naïve", Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas' shoulders as she spoke, "Naley are married. Of course they're gonna…", Brooke's teasing words were cut off by Lucas' hand, which closed over her mouth and muffled what she said next.

"Cheery – this conversation is over!", Lucas half informed-half ordered Brooke, only peeling his hand away from Brooke's mouth when she stopped talking into his skin.

"Oh really?!", Brooke resumed talking the moment her mouth wasn't gagged anymore. She kinked her eyebrows at Lucas challengingly, "Are you trying to be a bad boy like Nathan now, Luke?", Brooke asked Lucas with mischievous eyes, "Because I just might have to punish you as well…", Brooke threatened before Lucas even had a chance to talk, making him speechless for a moment and causing Nathan and Haley laugh as they watched cheerful, uncensored Brooke come back to life.

"Watch it, baby- I just might hold you to that…", Lucas finally got over his amazement of Brooke and spoke back, giving her a playful look of his own. Brooke smiled at Lucas seductively, not backing off, capturing Lucas in a mutual daring gaze.

"Well… I think we're gonna leave you guys alone…", Nathan finally said, after Lucas and Brooke seemed to have been swept to a world of their own, looking only at each other and not paying any attention to him or to Haley.

"We're sorry… Don't go guys", Lucas immediately averted his gaze over to his brother and friend and apologized. He truly didn't mean to ignore them, but the resurfacing of his girlfriend's bubbly, playful side caught him off guard and captured his complete attention. Only then did he realize just how much he had missed his crazy girl.

"No, we just promised my mom we would go to lunch with her", Nathan explained. He wasn't offended by Brooke and Lucas' behavior at all. He was actually happy to see them lovingly tease each other like they would always do. It meant that his brother would finally stop being sad and worried, and that Brooke was truly getting back to her old self at last.

"Well, then in that case- O.K.", Brooke granted Nathan and Haley permission to leave, causing them to laugh.

"We'll come to visit you again soon, Brooke", Haley promised her friend as she came up to her and gave her a tight hug.

"Hopefully soon I'll be out of here already, so _I_ could come visit _you_", Brooke tried to keep a light tone to her voice, but none of her friends could ignore the slight sadness that invaded her voice as she talked about remaining in the hospital. Haley drew apart from Brooke to look her in the eye and squeezed her shoulders supportively.

"You will, Brooke. I think that you'll be able to leave the hospital in no time", Haley reassured Brooke confidently. Even though Lucas had told her that Brooke's head and stomach injuries weren't completely healed yet, Haley could only think back to the lost girl that Lucas cradled in his arms several weeks earlier, and acknowledge the huge progress Brooke made since then. To Haley it seemed like Brooke was almost ready to get back to her life.

"Well, thanks Dr. Haley… If you could sign my release papers, I'd appreciate it", Brooke jokingly said to Haley, knowing that her real doctor was much more cautious about releasing her.

"You know I would if I could", Haley giggled at Brooke's comment and replied, "I miss my tigger!", Haley said to Brooke honestly, in a more serious tone.

"I miss my tigger too!", Nathan pretended to tear up, mockingly repeating his wife's words while sticking his bottom lip out in a pout. Haley nudged him for making fun at her, while Lucas, who found Nathan's behavior entertaining, laughed out loud.

"Boy… You're on a roll today, Nathan!", Brooke scolded Nathan with a smile, unable to hide her own amusement of Nathan's behavior.

"Come on, you know I love you, Davis…", Nathan softened up slightly, still maintaining his light tone, but coming up to Brooke to give her a warm hug.

"That's so touching I think I'm gonna cry…", still engulfed in Nathan's strong arms, Brooke teased Nathan back the same way he had teased Haley, with a fake emotional voice. In response, Nathan swiftly lifted Brooke to the air and threw her over his shoulder, causing her to call out in surprise.

"In fact, I don't think I could leave you behind, so I'm just gonna take you along with us", Nathan playfully said, holding a wiggling Brooke tightly on his shoulder, "Come on, Hales… Bye Luke!", Nathan said and began advancing towards the exit of Brooke's room with the squirming girl on his shoulder.

"O.K…. What's with lifting me up today?", Brooke complained, still hanging half upside down on Nathan's shoulder, finally causing him to set her back on the floor.

"You started it, Brooke", Nathan shrugged, to which Brooke couldn't argue, as she knew he was right.

"True…", she admitted, and then softened up her smile, "Thanks for being by my side today, guys… I don't know what I would have done without your help…", Brooke said almost shyly, giving her friends a genuinely grateful smile.

"We're always going to be there for you, Brooke", Haley said compassionately, looking at Brooke with her warm, caring eyes and pulling her in for another hug, which Lucas and Nathan quickly joined. The four friends held each other for several moments, feeling blessed to have one another, and then finally broke up, looking at each other affectionately. Almost unconsciously, Lucas pulled Brooke to his side and Nathan took Haley's hand in his as they began heading out.

"Bye…", Brooke waved to Nathan and Haley, who returned the gesture and left. She kept looking in the direction in which they walked, suddenly filled with thoughts about the day she underwent, as she no longer had a distraction from them.

"What's on your mind, beautiful?", Lucas kissed Brooke on the top of her head and asked her softly as he began to stroke her back.

"Not much…", Brooke sighed. She looked up at Lucas, still attached to his side, and forced up a smile, feeling as though it was unfair for him to always have to listen to her worries and unhappy thoughts. As she saw that he was trying to read her through her eyes and force the truth out of her, Brooke stood up on her toes and leaned up to kiss her boyfriend on the lips. Even though he was reluctant to go along with Brooke at first, as he realized she was avoiding telling him what she was going through, soon Lucas couldn't resist the feeling of Brooke's soft, warm lips, which were gently sucking his lips and begging for him to kiss her back. As he began cooperating with Brooke and deepening the kiss, Lucas felt Brooke smiling against his lips.

"Why are you smiling?", Lucas asked Brooke breathlessly, while giving Brooke's lips short butterfly kisses.

"I guess it's punishment time for you, big boy…", Brooke told Lucas with a seductive grin and then attacked his lips again, now pressing her lips against Lucas' with much more force and passion. Lucas couldn't help but groan in response, pulling Brooke harder against him and moving one of his hands up to the back of her head, so he could deepen their kiss even more. As Lucas could feel Brooke's tongue begging for entrance, he allowed her to slip it into his mouth and caressed her tongue with his, causing Brooke to moan softly.

"I like this punishment…", Lucas told Brooke, barely having enough air to talk, but unable to stop their heated make-out session. He had wanted this for so long, but didn't dare to initiate anything too physical with Brooke, as he wanted it to happen only when Brooke would be completely ready again.

In response, Lucas suddenly felt Brooke slip her small, cold hands under his shirt and run them up his back, causing him to shiver and pull Brooke even more to him. Not stopping their lips' action, Lucas copied Brooke's actions and slipped one hand under Brooke's top to touch her back's skin while holding her head tightly with the other. As he felt Brooke's body press against his, Lucas couldn't help but moan into her mouth with pleasure. She was definitely turning him on.

Lucas felt like the world was disappearing from around him. All he could think about and feel was Brooke, just Brooke. The way her mouth was attacking his with need was driving him crazy. The way her hands were traveling up his back and digging into his skin was making him go wild. He simply couldn't get enough of his girl.

Just as the two felt their desire for one another rise even more, they suddenly heard someone clearing his throat behind them.

Brooke and Lucas whirled around, surprised, and saw Dr. Goldstein looking at them with an uncomfortable, yet amused, smile. The couple immediately let go of one another and awkwardly stood, side by side, too embarrassed to even touch each other.

"Hi Dr. Goldstein", Brooke stuttered as she nervously greeted him, her eyes quickly slipping away from his. She felt almost as uncomfortable as she did when Keith had caught her and Lucas making out when they just began dating.

"Hi Brooke... Lucas...", Dr. Goldstein acknowledged them both, yet refrained from making eye contact with either of them. He cleared his dry throat yet again before he was able to continue talking to the young couple, "I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to see how you were doing and run some tests on you", Dr. Goldstein almost apologized as he explained the reason he intruded into Brooke and Lucas' private moment.

"Right now?", Brooke said with disappointment and displeasure, "Can't we take a rain-check? I really tired...", Brooke told Dr. Goldstein, forcing out a yawn.

"You didn't seem the tiniest bit tired a few moments ago, when I walked into your room...", Dr. Goldstein told Brooke with an amused smile. Only in the last few days did he truly get exposed to his patient's real personality, and understood just how changed she was by Dan's actions and realize how many laughs he had been missing due to the traumatic and shaken state she was in, as she now entertained him every time he walked into her room.

"Well...", Brooke stuttered as she struggled to make up a reasonable explanation for her unbelievable excuse, causing Dr. Goldstein to stare at her with a raised eyebrow and a smile, "I... I just had enough drama for one day, so cut me some slack, Dr. Goldstein, O.K.?", once Brooke began talking, there was no stopping her, as she spoke quickly and rapidly, not pausing even to take a breath of air.

Dr. Goldstein chuckled at his patient's silly attempts to avoid the tests she dreaded so much, which would help him determine just how soon she could be released from the hospital. He was about to reply to Brooke humorously, when he suddenly saw her eyes fall to the floor as she sighed heavy-heartedly, and noticed Lucas wrap his arm around her and hug her to his side. Dr. Goldstein frowned and looked over to Lucas in confusion, wondering if he knew the cause for Brooke's sudden mood swing.

"The trial ended today", Lucas quietly reminded Dr. Goldstein, whose expression immediately became much softer and more understanding.

"How did it go?", Dr. Goldstein expressed his interest. Judging by the way he first found Brooke and Lucas, he would have guessed that it went well, but seeing the way Brooke looked at that moment, Dr. Goldstein was getting worried.

"He's being put away for life", Brooke finally responded, still staring at the floor with a distant gaze.

"Well, that's great, Brooke!", Dr. Goldstein encouragingly said to Brooke.

"I know...", she replied absentmindedly and tiredly, and Dr. Goldstein realized that she wasn't lying when she told him that she had been through enough for one day.

"Look, Brooke- I know that this man took a lot from you, but he'll be sitting in jail for the rest of his life, while you are going to get out of here and get your life back really soon. I promise...", Dr. Goldstein said to Brooke, not wanting to see her upset.

Brooke lifted her eyes up to Dr. Goldstein and forced herself to smile at him. He was being so kind to her always, that she wanted him to see, even if merely with a minor gesture, that she appreciated his efforts.

"I'll tell you what...", Dr. Goldstein spoke again after several moments of silence, in which he noticed that Brooke indeed seemed to look tired, "I'll postpone the tests until tomorrow, but in the mean time, I want you to rest, and not engage in other activities...", Dr. Goldstein emphasized, causing Brooke and Lucas to smile at each other and then nod to him in agreement.

"Alright, then I'll let you rest", Dr. Goldstein stressed yet again, trying to give Brooke a serious look, but unable to help but smile back at the girl's beaming, dimpled grin, "And I'll be here later on, to check up on you", he told Brooke.

"Thanks, Dr. Goldstein", Brooke said in response, truly appreciating the caring treatment she was receiving from her doctor. Dr. Goldstein nodded at her and then left the room. Brooke quietly looked after him for several moments, until he disappeared from her view. When she was certain that he was gone, she jumped onto Lucas, wrapping her legs around his waist and almost knocking him down, as he wasn't expecting her actions at all.

"So where were we?", Brooke grinned at Lucas seductively as he finally came to his senses and wrapped one hand around her waist while holding her up with the other.

"I thought that you were tired...", Lucas chuckled, looking at his perked-up girlfriend with disbelief.

"I'm never too tired for you", Brooke playfully replied in her raspy voice, making it extremely hard for Lucas to resist her. Not taking her twinkling, mischievous eyes off of Lucas' piercing blue ones, Brooke brought her face up to Lucas', until her lips were brushing against his, causing Lucas' breath to hitch in his throat. Brooke grinned at her boyfriend sexily, and after teasing him for a bit longer, pressed her lips against his, alternating between capturing his lower lip to his upper lip in her mouth.

"Babe, as much as I like this, if we don't end this now- I won't be able to stop...", Lucas warned Brooke after kissing her back for a while and feeling the affect she always had on him as their kisses became more intense and heated.

"Mmm... That's my plan...", Brooke replied into Lucas' mouth, not letting go of his lips even for a moment.

"Brooke...", Lucas gently pulled Brooke away from his lips to look at her eyes. He cupped her cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb as he struggled to even out his quick breaths, "We promised Dr. Goldstein that you would be resting", he reminded her, keeping his eyes locked on hers in order to make sure that Brooke could see that he wasn't rejecting her, but simply trying to look after her.

"Party crasher...", Brooke called out to Lucas with a pout, jumping out of his arms and climbing onto her bed. Fearing that he had offended her, Lucas approached Brooke and looked at her as she snuggled into her blankets. He was about to explain himself to Brooke when he suddenly saw her smiling at him.

"Will you at least join me?", Brooke patted the place next to her in her bed and looked up at Lucas invitingly.

"Of course, baby", Lucas smiled back, finally relaxing, and quickly lay down by Brooke's side, pulling her body against his. He kissed her forehead softly and then began to gently rub Brooke's back and shoulders, feeling her body ease into his arms more and more.

"I love you, Broody", Brooke sighed in relaxation and told Lucas quietly as she closed her eyes, putting a smile on her boyfriend's face.

"I love you too, Cheery", Lucas replied, feeling as though this simple sentence was far too short to express just how strong his feelings towards the girl in his arms were. He continued caressing Brooke's body, his strokes becoming softer and softer as he felt Brooke gradually drift into a deep sleep in his arms. As he glanced down at her face, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was in that moment- curled up into his body and peacefully breathing against him, making her look like a living doll. The only thing he wished was that they would be back in his room, where he would always look at Brooke for hours as she slept, and no longer in a hospital bed...

* * *

Several hours later, after Lucas had already slipped out of Brooke's side and settled on a chair by her bed, he was still watching his sleeping beauty, running a hand over her hair softly.

When the door suddenly creaked and opened, Lucas shifted his gaze from Brooke to the entrance of the room and smiled silently at his mother and uncle, who caught sight of the sleeping girl and entered the room quietly. They seated themselves next to Lucas and smiled as they watched him continue to pat Brooke's hair affectionately.

"Luke, do you want to go grab something to eat? You've been here with Brooke for a pretty long time...", Keith looked at his nephew with care as he made his suggestion.

"No, it's O.K...", Lucas was truly enjoying being by Brooke's side and watching her sleep. "Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you, mom...", Lucas moved his eyes over to his mother's warm ones.

"What is it, my boy?", Karen caringly asked her son, turning her full attention over to him.

"Brooke is going to be released pretty soon, and since her parents still haven't returned from their trip, I was wondering if she could stay with us...", Lucas hopefully asked his mother what he had been wanting to bring up for quite some time. Karen glanced over at Keith for a moment and then cleared her throat uneasily, as Lucas looked at her tensely, not liking the way she responded already.

"Lucas, it's a bit more complicated than that...", Karen replied to him. She wanted to explain to Lucas what she meant, but he cut her off in disappointment.

"Why, mom? Brooke is almost a part of our family by now!", he exclaimed, upset that his mother wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea as he was, and that her reaction was not what he had thought it would be.

"Lucas- I love Brooke almost like she was my daughter and I would have loved to have her stay at out house, but it's not up to me...", Karen sighed.

"Then who is it up to, exactly?", Lucas furiously asked his mother, not understanding who else could interfere in his plan.

"Her parents", Karen told her son, looking almost as frustrated as he was.

"Her parents?!", Lucas couldn't believe his ears. The two people who should care most about Brooke didn't even call to check up on their daughter or seem to care about the numerous messages he knew his mother and uncle had left them, telling them that their daughter was hospitalized, and only when she already partially recovered from their injuries and trauma and didn't need them as much, they suddenly remembered that she existed. "But they're not even here!", Lucas protested, "Brooke will need someone to look after her once she's released, and they won't even be in Tree Hill!", Lucas tried to convince his mother.

"They don't want her to stay in Tree Hill, Lucas...", Karen carefully broke the news to her son, pausing to look at Brooke and make sure she was still sound asleep before continuing in a muffled tone, "Her father is signing a contract with a firm in California. They already posted ads about selling their house and they want Brooke to move there once she's released from the hospital...", Karen quietly informed her Lucas. watching his eyes grow dark all at once...

* * *

**AN: You guys have no idea how hard it was for me to keep from leaving Keith and Karen's secret as a cliffhanger again, but eventually I decided not to be mean- so now you guys know! ;-) Next time I promise to continue Karen and Lucas' conversation and go more into detail on the matter. Will Brooke have to leave to California, or will Lucas be able to change her parents' mind? The answers will come up next time (hopefully...)! ;-) That's all for now!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi guys! Sorry for taking so long to update, but my computer stopped working, and until I can get a new one, my sister is letting me use hers, but now I don't have as much time online as I used to... Hopefully I'll be able to get my new computer this upcoming week and then things will be back to normal! ;-) Thanks for everyone who reviewed last time- you guys are amazing and truly motivate me to continue writing!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

_"Brooke is going to be released pretty soon, and since her parents still haven't returned from their trip, I was wondering if she could stay with us...", Lucas hopefully asked his mother._

_"Lucas- I love Brooke almost like she was my daughter and I would have loved to have her stay at our house, but it's not up to me...", Karen sighed._

_"Then who is it up to, exactly?", Lucas furiously asked his mother, not understanding who else could interfere in his plan._

_"Her parents", Karen told her son, looking almost as frustrated as he was._

_"Her parents?!", Lucas couldn't believe his ears, "But they're not even here!", Lucas protested, "Brooke will need someone to look after her once she's released, and they won't even be in Tree Hill!", Lucas tried to convince his mother._

_"They don't want her to stay in Tree Hill, Lucas...", Karen carefully broke the news to her son, pausing to look at Brooke and make sure she was still sound asleep before continuing in a muffled tone, "Her father is signing a contract with a firm in California. They already posted ads about selling their house and they want Brooke to move there once she's released from the hospital...", Karen quietly informed her Lucas. watching his eyes grow dark all at once..._

**Chapter 27**

"Mom, you've gotta do something- you can't just let them take Brooke away like that!", Lucas begged his mother in a shaking, frightened voice. Karen's heart broke as she looked at her son, who had become pale and seemed completely lost and helpless.

"Honey, I can't go against what they say and keep Brooke here. They are her parents, not me…", Karen tried to reason with Lucas, who seemed to grow more and more devastated with every passing second.

"So what- they can just call you, after they didn't even check on Brooke once the whole time she was in the hospital, and force Brooke to leave Tree Hill?", Lucas was working really hard to keep his voice down to a whisper, as he was truly mad at Brooke's parents, yet didn't want to wake Brooke up and have her find out about her parents' plan for her.

"Actually they didn't call, they texted a message...", Keith corrected Lucas, revealing what had personally infuriated him. Up until receiving Brooke's parents' message, he thought that they simply weren't able to hear his messages and didn't know about what had happened to Brooke. It seemed bizarre to him that they would leave their daughter for so long without calling to see how she was doing, but he convinced himself that if they knew about what Brooke had been through, they would have returned to Tree Hill in a heartbeat. Yet as he received a formal, dry text message from Brooke's parents, it occured to him that they simply didn't care about their golden-hearted daughter, who Keith couldn't understand how it was possible not to love. As he looked at Lucas' face and saw the same emotions he felt as he read the Davis' words flash through the boy's eyes, Keith simply handed him his cell-phone, so he could see the message for himself. As Lucas read it, his mouth opened wide, for he simply couldn't believe his eyes-

_"We apologize for burdening you with taking care of our daughter. Due to a business opporunity, we will be moving from Tree Hill over to California, and would like you to instruct Brooke to order a plane ticket as soon as she is released from the hospital and call our private driver to pick her up from the airport. Please tell her to put the hospital bill and airfare on our credit card. She has its information. Movers will be handling all of our belongings, so she won't have to deal with packing. We are sorry for any inconvenience Brooke might have caused you. -John and Victoria Davis."_

By the time Lucas had finished reading, his face was red with fury. From their message, it was obvious that Brooke's parents only saw her as a burden- as an object that had no personal desires and just needed to be moved over to California with the rest of their luggage. It angered him to no extent that the people who should have expressed unconditional love towards his pretty girl were completely neglecting her and treating her as though they didn't even want her. This was something Lucas couldn't help but hold against them and resent them for. He wasn't willing to allow these two people, who clearly couldn't care less about Brooke, simply take her away from all those who loved her most. Lucas didn't care how, but he was somehow going to find a way to stop Brooke's parents from getting their way.

"Mom, you've gotta talk them out of this! They won't even be there with her and she doesn't know anybody there", Lucas said to his mother, clearly upset, "Mom- she hates being along and that's just what will happen if she moves!", he told her desperately.

"Lucas, I've tried to call her parents, but they won't answer my calls...", Karen replied to her son. She knew how important Brooke was to him and personally grew attached to her throughout the past few weeks, that she really didn't want Brooke to go either, but she knew that she was was powerless without the Davis' consent.

"Then we have to keep trying!", Lucas insisted, knowing that Brooke would be miserable with her neglecting parents in a foreign state, "Brooke still needs us, mom!", he added desperately.

"I know, my boy...", Karen told Lucas softly, sad to see her beloved son so upset and hurting.

Lucas was about to continue trying to convince his mother that Brooke had to stay, when Brooke suddenly stirred in her sleep and mumbled something incoherent as her face wore an agitated expression. In an instant, Lucas left his conversation with his mother behind and rushed over to Brooke's side.

"Hey baby... It's O.K...", he whispered to Brooke while soothingly stroking her hair as she stirred yet again.

"Luke...", she muttered uncalmly, obviously still bothered by something, and then slightly flinched, seemingly in pain.

"Shh... I'm right here, babe, it's alright...", Lucas tried to comfort Brooke in a soft voice, moving his hand from her hair to her cheek and caressing it gently.

Brooke settled into Lucas' touch, but it was evident that what was disturbing her had yet to disappear.

"Brooke, it's alright, baby... Nothing will happen to you...", Lucas tried again and continued whispering comforting words to his love, until she finally seemed to calm down and drift back into a peaceful sleep. He kept brushing his thumb against Brooke's cheek, and as Karen looked at the couple, she couldn't deny that keeping them away from one another would be truly tragic to both, as Brooke obviously still needed Lucas, while he loved her so much, he couldn't bear to keep away from her.

"I'm not going to give up until I get hold of her parents, Lucas. I promise...", Karen honestly told her son, truly determined to spare him and the girl she practically saw as her own daughter the heartache she knew they would experience without her interference. In response, Lucas turned to her and gave her a sad, half-smile. He was grateful for his mother, yet couldn't believe that now that he finally got his cheery back, he might loose her all over again...

* * *

"Oh my god! I feel so dumb next to you guys...", Brooke whined as Haley tried to explain to her what they had been learning at school, and now studying for their finals. Brooke didn't really think about what the consequences of her absence from school would be, and now she was getting worried, as she didn't understand half of what Haley was talking about. She sighed and looked at her hands, once again dwelling on how much Dan had taken away from her.

"Don't worry, Brooke... I was actually present at school, and I have no idea what Haley is saying either...", Nathan honestly confessed, succeeding in making Brooke smile, but causing Haley to frown in displeasure.

"Nathan- we went over this yesterday! Were you not listening to anything I said?", Haley asked her husband in frustration, not understanding how all the studying they had done together didn't help him out.

"Hales, I was listening, I swear!", Nathan replied defensively, "I just don't get this stuff!", he told her with defeat.

"Then you'd better get back to studying, mister!", Haley ordered her husband, who saluted her in response. She softened up and smiled at him, and then turned to Brooke, "As for you- don't worry... Principle Turner knows what happened and told me he'll let you pass without your finals", Haley encouragingly told Brooke, who only grew more upset at that.

"Great- now everyone's gonna treat me like a charity case...", Brooke sighed and unhappily mumbled. She knew she should be grateful for what Principle Turner was allowing, but just hated the knowledge that she would now be treated and looked upon differently. Haley and Nathan, who noticed how Brooke, who had greeted them cheerfully as they entered her hospital room, was growing more and more upset, exchanged looks as they thought about how to lift her spirits back up.

"No, Brooke, that's not true", Haley put a hand over Brooke's fragile one as she spoke to her softly, "Look, finals are a week from today, and even if you get out of here by then, nobody could learn all the material that you missed in such a short time, O.K.?", Haley told Brooke rationally and squeezed her friend's hand as she nodded, as a sign that she was listening. "Besides", Haley continued, now using a lighter tone, "I'm sure Nathan would have loved to trade places with you right now. Right, Nate?", Haley looked over to her husband, who was nodding.

"Absolutely!", he told Brooke, causing her to lift her eyes back up and look at her friends with appreciation. She then caught Lucas staring into space out of the corner of her eye and frowned. He had been distant that entire day, and it was beginning to make Brooke worried.

"Are you thinking about your finals too, boyfriend?", Brooke asked Lucas sweetly, yet he remained spaced out. "Luke?", she tried again, this time throwing Lucas out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?", Lucas shifted his gaze over to Brooke and looked at her questioningly, obviously having missed his friends' entire conversation.

"Does having a stupid girlfriend bother you that badly?", Brooke questioned Lucas, only half jokingly, causing Lucas' blank expression to tense up in an instant.

"Hey! You're not stupid!", Lucas sternly told Brooke, "Don't you ever say that about yourself again!", Lucas commanded, causing Brooke to flinch and then nod. She knew that Lucas hated it when she would doubt her intelligence, yet couldn't help but feel inferior relatively to her studious friends. Lucas noticed her saddened expression and immediately softened up, "I didn't mean to raise my voice, Brooke, I'm sorry...", he genuinely apologized, yet Brooke dismissively shook her head.

"It's O.K...", she replied quietly, knowing that his response was derived purely from love. Lucas simply took her hand and squeezed it lightly, wanting to show her how much he indeed loved her. In response, Brooke snuggled up to Lucas until he pulled her on top of his lap and kissed her head gently. The couple grew calmly silent in each other's arms, and Nathan and Haley took that as a sign for them to let the two be.

"Well... I think we'd better get going...", Nathan broke the silence just as both Brooke and Lucas comfortably closed their eyes, still resting against each other.

"Bye tutor girl... Bye Nate", Brooke waved to her friends while keeping her eyes shut and her head leaning leaning against Lucas', causing her friends to laugh in response.

"Bye guys!", Lucas chuckled and simply nodded to his friends, not wanting to rattle the girl that was resting in his arms. He looked after them as they walked away and then moved his eyes over to Brooke. He couldn't help but smile as he watched his pretty girl resting peacefully against his body, yet as the thoughts about her leaving returned to plague his mind, his smile turned into a scowl.

Brooke, who could sense that Lucas was staring at her, finally opened her eyes when she felt Lucas' body tense under her. She lifted her eyes up to his and looked at him for a while, trying to read him and figure out what was troubling his mind. As the the silence caused the tension in the room to grow, Brooke finally couldn't help herself and spoke out.

"A nickle for your thoughts", Brooke tried to catch Lucas' eyes, which had been dodging her since she looked up at him, and caused him to chuckle.

"Brooke- the saying is - a penny for your thoughts", Lucas corrected her, finally shifting his eyes to meet hers and smiling at her adoringly.

"So?", Brooke shrugged, seemingly unfazed by her inaccuracy, "I think that your thoughts are worth more!", she told Lucas, who couldn't help but laugh at how cute she was.

"It's nothing, babe", Lucas tried to dismiss the matter, as he didn't want to share the upsetting news with Brooke, yet Brooke could easily tell that there was something on his mind.

"Luke, you're brooding- _something _is going on", Brooke eyed Lucas intently and shared her observation with him, yet Lucas was determined not to tell her what was going on until he could find a way to fix the situation. He looked at Brooke, who was staring at him with curiosity and slight concern, and all he could think of was how much he loved her, how much he couldn't let her leave.

Without saying a word, Lucas just leaned closer to Brooke and captured her lips in his, kissing her gently, yet with need. He felt Brooke hesitantly kissing him back and realized that even though he managed to escape from revealing the truth to Brooke for now, she wasn't going to let the matter go that quickly. As thoughts of Brooke leaving filled his head, Lucas felt his need for Brooke growing and began to kiss her more passionately, in hasty, frantic kisses.

"Luke...", Brooke tried to break loose from his strong grip, but Lucas, feeling suddenly as if he was about to loose Brooke, persistantly deepened the kiss even more.

"Lucas...", Brooke called into his lips, still trying to push him off. As Lucas suddenly realized that Brooke was no longer kissing him back, but only struggling against him, he finally let go of her and allowed her to face him, like she had wanted to. Brooke looked at him with questioning, fearful eyes and just tried to read him through his eyes.

"Luke, you're scaring me...", she finally said in a shaky, breathy voice, staring at him with wide-open eyes. Lucas closed his eyes guiltily and grabbed his head in his hands in shame. He didn't mean to come onto her so strongly, but just thinking about Brooke moving to the other side of the country made it impossible for Lucas to control himself from expressing how much he needed her.

"I'm sorry...", he mumbled from between his hands, where his face was still buried. The last thing Lucas wanted was for Brooke to feel unsafe or afraid, and he was really mad at himself that he was the reason she felt that way.

"Broody, just tell me what it is", Lucas could suddenly feel Brooke's small fingers touching his shoulder as she softly spoke to him. He lifted his eyes again and looked at Brooke's caring, loving eyes, thinking of what he could tell her and not break her heart.

"I just don't ever want to loose you", Lucas finally replied with a lot of emotion, causing Brooke's eyes to immediately soften.

"You'll never loose me, boyfriend", Brooke reassuringly said to Lucas as she pulled him in for a hug, kissing his temple before pressing her body against his.

Lucas tightened his grip on Brooke and nuzzled into her neck, breathing her skin. He just loved everything about the girl in his arms- her adorable personality, her dimpled smile, her sweet scent, her beautiful hazel eyes, her gentle touch, and above all- her big, caring heart. She was the perfect girl for him and Lucas truly couldn't picture life without her. As the fear of loosing Brooke overtook Lucas once more, he strengthened his hold on Brooke even more, causing her to shift uncomfortably in his arms. The way that Lucas was acting was beginning to truly worry her, and she no longer felt like Lucas was embracing her, but as though he was trapping her and holding onto her with desperation. Brooke began to gently rub up and down Lucas' back, hoping that she could ease some of his tension, and kissed his neck, to which she was currently pressed.

"I love you, my broody", Brooke told Lucas, wanting to encourage him, but almost in an instant felt her heart drop as she heard Lucas sniffle, just as a tear wet her neck.

"Luke...", still straddling him, Brooke drew apart from Lucas in order to face him, and bit her lip as she saw tears cascading down his cheeks, "What's wrong, boyfriend?", Brooke softly questioned Lucas as she wiped the tears off of his face and looked at him with concern. She knew that something was bothering Lucas from the moment she had opened her eyes that morning, but only now realized that it must be very severe, if it caused him to cry. Her face grew serious as she honestly asked him, "Is this about me? Did I do something wrong?". The way that Brooke was looking deeply into his eyes and wondering whether it was her actions that upset him, only sent more tears down Lucas' face, as he realized how much Brooke loved him back.

"You didn't do anything, baby...", Lucas replied, his heart almost breaking at the sight of Brooke facing him and blaming his tears on herself. He took her hands in his and kissed them twice, wanting to show her that he meant what he said.

"Then what's wrong, babe?", Brooke gently asked him, continuing to brush Lucas' tears away with her small fingers. Lucas just shook his head and sighed, hoping that Brooke would back off, but she wasn't willing to just watch him cry and do nothing, "Come on, Luke, talk to me...", Brooke looked at Lucas with pleading eyes, begging him not to shut her out, causing Lucas to sigh with defeat. He knew that he couldn't protect Brooke from the truth forever, and realized that she would be much more upset if she felt that something was hidden away from her rather than if he simply told her about her parents' plan and helped her deal with the news. Lucas took a deep breath and cleared his face from any evidence of tears, preparing himself to tell Brooke the truth.

"Brooke...", Lucas took her hands in his and squeezed them, getting himself ready to spill everything out. He looked into Brooke's beautiful hazel eyes, which were staring at him intently, and inhaled slowly, about to begin his speech. He was just about to start talking when Dr. Goldstein suddenly entered the room, causing his eyes to slip away from Brooke over to the doctor.

"Well, Brooke- are you ready for some check-ups?", Dr. Goldstein smiled at his patient kindly as he spoke. Brooke alternated her gaze between Lucas and the doctor, torn between the two.

"Luke...", she looked deeply into his eyes, expressing her discomfort with the way their conversation had abruptly come to an end. In response, Lucas smiled at her reassuringly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's alright, cheery... We'll talk when you come back", he promised her, finally convincing Brooke to join her doctor. She took one last look at Lucas, making sure that he was alright now, and when she was certain that it would be alright to leave him behind, she smiled back at him and pecked his lips quickly.

"I love you- Lucas Scott", Brooke said to him quietly, looking into his eyes to let him know that nothing he would tell her could change that fact, that whatever it was- they would get through it together.

"I love you too...", Lucas effortfully hid his sadness away from Brooke, knowing that the confident, optimistic look in her eyes would definitely disappear if he wouldn't be able to change her parents' mind. As he watched her exit the room with Dr. Goldstein, Lucas felt his heart twitching in his chest. Brooke was only gone for several moments, yet he already felt lonely and gloomy. He simply didn't know what he would do if Brooke would leave for good. Without his cheerful crazy girl, Lucas felt as though he would be lost, as though the light she always brought along with her would be gone...

* * *

**AN: Alright- so I realize that this chapter didn't exactly advance the story too much, but I hope that you still enjoyed it and could sympathize with what Lucas was feeling, which was my focus in this chapter. This is all for now! ;-)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hi guys! I was really glad to read your responses to my last chapter, as I really wasn't sure how it came out- so thanks for everyone who encouraged me about it! I still didn't get my new computer, so updating is harder than before- but please bear with me! I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter and as Brooke would say- a nickel for your thoughts! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 28**

"Broody, I'm back!", Brooke chirped as she happily walked into her room, an hour and a half after being taken away by Dr. Goldstein. Her tests showed great improvement in her condition, much to Dr. Goldstein's satisfaction, causing him to tell Brooke that her release would be just a matter of days. As soon as she heard the good news, Brooke couldn't wait to share them with Lucas, hoping that it would help cheer him up. She walked back to her room as fast as she could, considering her still fragile body, and right after Dr. Goldstein helped her open her room's heavy door, she spotted Lucas, who was now accompanied by Karen and Keith, and rushed into his arms.

"Hey baby!", the troubled look Lucas had on his face disappeared the moment he saw Brooke and was replaced with a smile. He hung up the phone, which he had been frustratedly dialing when Brooke came in, and accepted Brooke into his arms, kissing her lips gently. "How did the tests go?", Lucas asked Brooke while rubbing his thumbs back and forth across her shoulders.

"Good! Dr. Goldstein said I might get to go home in a few days, right doctor?", Brooke excitedly informed Lucas and then turned to Dr. Goldstein, waiting for him to confirm her words.

"That's right, Brooke", Dr. Goldstein nodded with a smile, glad to see how his patient seemed to be recovering, both mentally and physically. Knowing that he had to work some things out before he could allow Brooke's release, Dr. Goldstein shifted his gaze away from Brooke, "Keith, Karen- could I have a word with the two of you for a moment?", he looked at the two adults, who immediately followed him out of the room, leaving Brooke and Lucas alone.

Brooke could now turn her entire attention to Lucas. As she lovingly gazed at him, still consumed with joy due to the good news Dr. Goldstein gave her, Brooke noticed that Lucas wasn't as enthusiastic about what she had told him as much as she thought he would be.

"Aren't you happy, Luke?", Brooke asked with a frown, trying to understand why Lucas seemed somber.

"Of course I'm happy, Brooke", Lucas immediately replied, squeezing Brooke's shoulders and forcing himself to sound more cheerful, "There's nothing that I want more than to see you get better...", Lucas honestly told Brooke, yet she could easily see that something was still bothering him.

"Then what's going on?", Brooke questioned softly. When she saw that Lucas' eyes were avoiding hers, Brooke couldn't help but ask him, "Are we O.K., Luke?". This immediately caused Lucas to look at Brooke and grab onto her.

"Of course we are, baby", he answered, rubbing up and down Brooke's arms affectionately.

"So what is it, Luke?", Brooke quietly asked Lucas and kept looking at him questioningly until he sighed and began to speak, knowing he couldn't hide the matter away from Brooke for any longer.

"Brooke- once you get out of here, Dr. Goldstein still wants someone to supervise you for a while...", Lucas began, already caused Brooke's face to fall.

"Great... I guess that I'll be staying here for a while longer then, because who knows when my parents will be back...", Brooke mumbled disappointedly, causing Lucas to close his eyes and let out a sigh, as he knew that the truth was worse than what Brooke thought.

"Here's the thing, Brooke...", Lucas opened his eyes again and looked at Brooke sincerely, "Your parents won't be coming back to Tree Hill... They're moving to California and they want you to join them as soon as you're released from the hospital...", Lucas quietly told Brooke, causing her heart to drop.

"You're kidding, right?", was all Brooke managed to ask, her face becoming pale and her voice growing shaky.

"Babe, I'm not gonna rest until I reach them and convince them to let you stay in Tree Hill with me...", Lucas was now the one who was searching for Brooke's eyes, which had fallen to the floor. She finally understood why Lucas was so distant and upset that day, and truly couldn't blame him, as the thought of leaving all of those who loved her and cared for her through her hard time filled her with fear. "Brooke, there's no way I'm letting you go... I promise...", Lucas told her confidently, squeezing her shoulders gently.

"So when are they coming to pick me up?", Brooke asked, too caught up in her thoughts to even truly pay attention to Lucas' promises and comforting words. As Lucas looked at the sad girl before him, he really didn't have the heart to tell her that on top of everything, her parents weren't even coming for her, but when Brooke finally lifted her hazel eyes and looked deeply into his eyes, Lucas knew he couldn't hide the truth away from her.

"They're not coming, babe. They're waiting for you in California...", Lucas gently broke the news, feeling his heart break as he saw Brooke's face fill with hurt, "I'm sorry, baby...", he genuinely told her, truly feeling awful that his words had caused such sadness to overcome Brooke.

"They know that I'm at a hospital?", Brooke's trembling voice made her sound so small and broken that Lucas didn't know what to say. He knew that the truth would hurt Brooke like a knife in the heart, and just couldn't bear to do that to her. Instead he just bowed his head sadly, closing his eyes and biting his lip as he felt Brooke's body beginning to shake next to him. As Lucas' silence spoke for itself and ascertained Brooke that her parents truly knew what happened to her, yet didn't care enough to even call her and see how she was doing, Brooke remained quiet and processed the awful reality. She knew that her parents weren't the most attentive people in the world towards her, but only now did she realize that even though she loved her parents with all her heart, the feeling wasn't mutual. As this overwhelming thought filled her head, Brooke grew dizzy and felt her knees give out from under her.

"Hey... Are you alright?", Lucas immediately caught Brooke and lifted her in his arms. Brooke didn't reply and simply pressed her face against Lucas' body, immediately causing him to sense his shirt dampening. Lucas began to gently rub up and down Brooke's back as he silently carried her over to her bed. He carefully lay Brooke down, covering her up, and then joined her, climbing on top of the blankets and pulling Brooke against him. "You should get some rest, babe", Lucas advised Brooke, kissing her on top of her head, yet Brooke was far too upset to be able to relax. The thought of moving away from Tree Hill and leaving her entire life and all of her friends behind truly scared Brooke, while the feelings of disappointment and hurt that her parents' behavior caused her encircled her heart. Lucas' touch, which would usually make her feel completely safe was now also filling her up with sadness, as she thought about the possibility of having to part with it soon.

"I don't wanna go...", Brooke choked out into Lucas' shirt, letting out a soft whimper after she spoke.

"We'll figure this out, baby", Lucas replied, tightening his hold on Brooke protectively, "I promise you that I won't let them take you away...".

* * *

"What?!", Victoria Davis' voice barked into the receiver with annoyance, completely startling Brooke. She had been repeatedly dialing her parents' cell phone numbers for an entire day, always reaching the answering machine, so having her mother actually pick up the phone was a huge surprise, causing Brooke to need a moment before she could speak.

"Mother, it's me", Brooke said softly. Even though her mother's voice was harsh, hearing her mother still managed to warm Brooke's heart up.

"Didn't Karen Roe deliver our message to you?", Victoria asked impatiently, obviously not as enthusiastic about hearing the person on the other side of the line as much as her daughter was.

"She did...", Brooke flinched at her mother's cold greeting, continuing to speak in a shaky, unconfident voice, "I just thought that maybe we could talk about it".

"What is there to talk about?!", Victoria irritatedly questioned, "All we asked you to do is book a flight, get on it and then call our driver to pick you up. Are even such simple tasks too complicated for you?", Victoria sneered.

"Mother...", Brooke gasped with disbelief as her lip began quivering. She was affected deeply by her mother's hurtful words, not understanding how her mother could put her down so much and not even ask once if she was alright after what had happened to her.

"Stop acting like a spoiled child, Brooke!", Victoria scolded her daughter as she heard the emotions in her voice.

"I am not acting like a spoiled child, mother", Brooke defended herself, desperately trying to stabilize her voice and emotions, "Tree Hill is home... I don't want to leave", Brooke finally told her mother what she had truly called to talk about.

"If you are expecting your father and me to buy you an apartment, you can forget about it!", Victoria raised her voice, growing even more annoyed with her daughter and with the conversation that they were holding.

"I never asked you to buy me an apartment!", Brooke replied, hurt and infuriated by her mother's response, "Luke's mom offered me a room in their house, and I really want to stay with them", she told her mother, asking for her approval of the idea in a hopeful tone.

"I will not let you burden strangers, Brooke!", Victoria replied harshly.

"Karen and Lucas are not strangers! They have been more of a family to me in the last few weeks than you have been!", Brooke bit back, unable to contain her anger and hurt for any longer.

"You're acting like an ungrateful brat!", Victoria hollered at her daughter, who by this point had tears shining in her eyes, "Your father and I never deprived anything of you!", she yelled, wanting to set her daughter in her place.

"Yes you did! Sure, you bought me anything I could have ever asked for, but you never showed me half the care Karen and Keith have been treating me with since I woke up! You are supposed to love me unconditionally, mother, and it doesn't feel like you do", Brooke finally poured out everything that had been burdening her heart. Up until the former day, she forced herself to believe that her parents simply didn't know what happened, but from the moment she understood that they knew and just didn't care, she felt hurt and betrayed and unwanted. The constant feeling that she wasn't good enough or worthy of love filled her up again, and despite Karen's attempts to get through to her over the past night, only now did she let out and verbalize her emotions. Brooke managed to hold onto her tears, but once her mother spoke, they went streaming down her face.

"Whatever...", Victoria coldly replied, basically confirming Brooke's feeling. Brooke forcefully bit her lip, trying to restrain the loud sob that threatened to slip out her mouth, and sniffled, fighting to get a grip over herself. Victoria impatiently sighed as she heard her daughter battling against her emotions, finding Brooke's vulnerability pathetic, "Stop acting like a baby!", Victoria demanded of her, only worsening Brooke's stream of tears.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through?!", Brooke sobbed, unable to take her mother's cold attitude anymore. "I was _raped_! I had a gun shoved up to my head! I got kidnapped and beaten up! My body still hurts and I don't think that I'll ever be 100 percent back to myself ever again, and you didn't even call _once_ to make sure that I was alright, which, by the way, _I'm not_!", Brooke shouted through her tears, mad and heartbroken all at once.

"I hope that by the time you arrive in California you'll regain some of your manners!", Victoria scornfully scolded her daughter, causing Brooke to break into another round of sobs. She was so upset that she didn't even notice her room's door opening up and Karen, Keith and Lucas rushing in through it.

"I don't want to go!", Brooke cried, unable to understand how her mother could be so heartless.

"That's life! Deal with it!", Victoria coldly replied, not feeling for her daughter the slightest bit even as she heard her sob in pain from the other side of the line.

"Mother...", Brooke whimpered. She suddenly felt Lucas' hands gently taking the phone away from her, enabling her to bury her face in her hands and completely break down. As Lucas stepped out of the room with Brooke's phone, wanting to give Victoria a piece of his mind without upsetting Brooke even more, Brooke sensed Karen's arms pull her to her and hold her tightly as Keith began stroking her hair.

"It's going to be alright, honey", Karen guaranteed as she rocked Brooke back and forth, holding her securely in her arms. Keith, who could sense Brooke's fragility and knew her mother well enough to understand what a cold person she was, continued to softly pat her hair, wanting Brooke to feel cared for and loved.

As her mother's words whirled in her head, Brooke suddenly felt like she was truly burdening Keith and Karen with her troubles and needs, like her mother said she was. She pulled apart from Karen, quickly wiping her face, and tried to walk out of her room, to deal with her pain in private, only to be stopped by Keith.

"Hey... Where are you going, Brooke?", Keith asked her with surprise as he held onto her shoulders, stoping her from advancing further.

"I... just... need... to be... alone for... a... bit...", Brooke told Keith in between her sobs, as her body shook under Keith's hold on her. She tried to slip away from him, yet Keith only tightened his grasp on Brooke's shoulders, making it impossible for her to move.

"Look- I have no idea what your mother said to you, but whatever it was- you can't let it get to you", Keith tried to encourage Brooke, who began crying even harder at the mentioning of her mother's hurtful words. Unable to remain indifferent as he watched Brooke breaking down in front of him, Keith pulled the young girl into his arms, hugging her shaking frame protectively, "Don't cry, baby... It's going to be alright", Keith told Brooke comfortingly, allowing her to cry on his chest.

"I'm sorry that you had to take care of me all this time... I didn't mean to bother you like that...", Brooke apologized through her tears, her words only causing Keith to tighten his hold on her angrily. He knew that this idea had to come to Brooke from her conversation with her mother, and simply couldn't believe that Victoria would be so cruel to scold Brooke for needing someone to take care of her after everything she had been through.

"Brooke, you are like a daughter to both of us... We are here because we love you, O.K.? So you don't need to apologize", Keith reassured her and Karen nodded, agreeing with every word Keith had said. Overcome by emotion, Brooke simply buried her face deeper into Keith's shirt and sobbed, grateful to no extent for Keith and Karen's support, yet ashamed of needing it and feeling unworthy of it at the same time.

"God, I'm a mess...", Brooke finally broke apart from Keith and muttered as she wiped her tears away, causing Keith and Karen to smile at her adoringly.

"You don't look like a mess to me...", Karen told her softly, brushing several more tears off of Brooke's cheeks. The girl and woman looked at one another, each smiling caringly at the other for the other's sake, and Brooke couldn't help but feel comfortable and calm with Karen's caring presence.

"Thank you...", Brooke finally managed to hold her emotions down and speak shakily, "I would have never been able to get through this without the two of you", she genuinely told the two adults before her, giving each one of them a emotional, grateful look.

"I wish you never had to go through any of it, honey", Karen truthfully said to Brooke, touched by the girl's words, yet honestly wishing she could have done more to spare the trauma from the young girl before her, "But I'm proud of you for how you dealt with this. You are a very strong girl, Brooke". As Brooke looked at Karen, feeling comforted by her words and wishing that the conversation she shared with her own mother would have been more similiar to the one she and Karen just had, Lucas entered the room, Brooke's cell-phone tucked in his pocket.

"She said O.K... You can stay with us, Brooke", Lucas gently told her, fighting to restrain himself from happily grabbing Brooke in his arms and kissing her senselessly as he could see that she was still upset and shaken up. He approached Brooke slowly and carefully pulled her into his arms, holding her securely and running his hands up and down her back soothingly. He kissed Brooke on top of her head, both due to the feeling that finally there was nothing coming in their way of being happy and also as an attempt to help his trembling girlfriend settle down, but quickly frowned as he felt Brooke's body beginning to shake more violently, understanding that she was crying once again.

"Isn't this was you want?", Lucas tensely questioned Brooke, feeling his stomach tie up in knots. There was nothing that he wanted more than to have Brooke by his side, but not at the expence of her happiness. Seeing her crying uncontrollably in his arms, he knew that he would let her go if that was what she wanted, even if it meant that he would be left heartbroken and miserable.

"She gave up on me...", Brooke just said in a small, broken voice, crushed that her mother didn't mind starting a new life in a new state while leaving her behind. Overall she certainly wanted to remain in Tree Hill with Lucas and everything else she knew since she was a child, but deep down she wished that her mother would insist more on her moving to Califronia, so she could see that she cared. As Lucas understood the source of Brooke's tears, he sighed, yet his tension was replaced with pain for the girl he loved.

"I wasn't ready to loose you", he finally replied, finding the right words to encourage Brooke without worsening her stream of tears. Brooke looked up at Lucas thankfully and he cupped her cheeks and caressed them gently, wanting to show her how much she meant to him. She then snuggled back into his embrace, closing her eyes with exhaustion and allowing a few more tears to fall onto her cheeks. As Lucas wrapped his arms around her, Brooke finally felt safe and even though her heart was still shattered from her mother's actions, she felt at home held in his loving embrace. The four people present were so caught up in that moment that neither one noticed Dr. Goldstein walking into the room with a truimphant grin.

"Guess who can go home tomorrow?", he gladly broke the good news, causing Keith and Karen to call out happily and join Brooke and Lucas' embrace for a group hug.

"Tomorrow will be a fresh start for everything, Brooke. I promise you that things will be great for us", Lucas whispered into Brooke's ear and kissed her, overjoyed at how everything was finally falling into place like it should...

* * *

**AN: O.K., so I know that you guys might have been disappointed that I brought back the emotional Brooke instead of fun, bubbly Brooke, but I felt like I needed to deal with the issue of her parents. I really hope that you liked how it turned out... Just to give you a heads up- this story is coming close to its ending (probably another chapter or two), so next time I promise there will be closure of many matters and maybe even of everything! Don't say I didn't warn you! ;-)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hi guys! I was planning for this to be my last chapter, but since several people asked me to write Lucas' conversation with Victoria in, I included it in this chapter, so I will be having one more chapter after this. I hope that their phone-call will be what you guys thought it would be! ;-) Anyway- enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 29**

"Are you all set to go, babe?", Lucas came up to Brooke and put his hand on her back as he effortlessly lifted her two bags of belongings onto his shoulder. She looked at him and nodded, causing Lucas to smile at her widely.

"What?", Brooke questioned Lucas' adoring gaze.

"You look cute", Lucas explained the reason for his wide grin, admiring the way Brooke looked wearing simple jeans and a white tank top instead of the hospital gown and pants he had grown used to seeing her with.

"You don't look too bad yourself...", Brooke replied in her raspy voice, leaning into Lucas' side and capturing his lips in hers for a gentle kiss. Over that past day she had gotten a grip over herself, yet Lucas could still see the sadness in her eyes, and could have killed her mother for causing his pretty girl all that pain. As he thought back to the conversation he had with Victoria, he couldn't help but tighten his hold on Brooke protectively, feeling rage flow through his veins all over again.

_-Flashback-_

_Lucas quickly walked out of the room with Brooke's phone clenched tightly in his hand. He was working very hard on keeping his voice down while he was still in Brooke's hearing range, but as soon as he closed the door firmly behind him and caught a glimpse of his broken girlfriend through the window, he was ready to tell Victoria exactly what he thought about her. Lifting up the phone to his ear, he heard Victoria's obnoxious voice speaking._

_"Stop wasting my time with your whining, Brooke!", Victoria scolded, thinking that it was still her daughter on the other side of the line, "Unless you have something important to tell me- this conversation is over!", Victoria declared, causing Lucas' blood to boil for the way this woman was treating Brooke. No girl deserved to be treated this way by her mother, especially not his pretty girl._

_"Actually- this conversation is far from over!", Lucas spoke back harshly. He then realized that this was Brooke's mother, who he was supposed to treat with respect, especially if he wanted her to listen to his request, so he sighed and softened his tone. "This is Lucas- Brooke's boyfriend", Lucas introduced himself, taking advantage of Victoria's silence, which was derived from her surprise to hear a different person on the other side of the line._

_"What do you want?", Victoria coldly cut into Lucas' speech, causing him to roll his eyes with annoyance, yet force himself to keep a civil tone._

_"It is in Brooke's best interest to stay in Tree Hill. My mother and I would be very happy to have her move in with us", Lucas told Victoria._

_"My daughter will not impose on others!", Victoria continued stubbornly refusing, "I will not have John and my reputation ruined because of Brooke's childlike behavior!", she declared, and Lucas was thankful that he wasn't in the same room as Victoria, for he was so infuriated by her words, he was sure he would have slapped her, if he would have been facing her._

_"She will need to return to a hospital for weekly check-ups. Will you be able to take her all the time?", Lucas angrily challenged, already knowing the true response to his question, yet trying to prove his point to Victoria._

_"We have a private driver", Victoria icily stated, causing Lucas to be as mad as hell._

_"Will you be around for constant supervision of Brooke at least for the next three weeks?", Lucas didn't give up, certain that Victoria and John wouldn't follow Dr. Goldstein's guidelines for Brooke's release and attempting to convince Victoria to change her mind yet again._

_"This is ridiculous!", Victoria exclaimed in outrage, "I will not allow Brooke to behave like a needy, spoiled brat!", she said, and Lucas simply couldn't believe his ears._

_"You actually think she's asking for this?!", Lucas could no longer hold back and raised his voice, "These are strict orders from her doctor!", he informed Victoria in fury, but was quick to quiet down, as he was determined to get through to her. "Listen, Mrs. Davis- you and your husband are busy people, and my mother and I might have more time to watch over Brooke until she gets better. I would be very grateful if you could let Brooke stay in Tree Hill, because she is completely crushed about having to leave", it took every ounce of Lucas' mental strength not to holler at the arrogant, self-centered woman he was talking to, but he managed to do so for Brooke's sake._

_"No Davis will behave like a pathetic parasite!", Victoria told Lucas, appalled._

_"You should start to care about your daughter's well-being and not about your damn name!", Lucas angrily said to Victoria, "Brooke has been through so much in the past few weeks that the last thing she needs is to go to a place where she doesn't know anyone and won't feel safe. Mrs. Davis- I love your daughter with all my heart- she's beautiful- inside and out, kind, brave and has the most golden heart in the world. She deserves to be happy, and you and I both know that she will end up being miserable in California. I know that even though you don't show it, you love Brooke too, so please think about her happiness and let her stay in Tree Hill with me", Lucas ended his speech and was met with silence from the other side of the line. Had he not heard Victoria's air-intakes through the receiver, he would have thought that she hung up on him, but he understood that she was thinking about what he had said, and hoped that the fact he had laid his heart out would be enough. After a few more moments of silence, Victoria finally sighed heavily and spoke._

_"Whatever...", Victoria carelessly replied. Any other day, Lucas would have been angered by her lack of care for Brooke, but at that moment, he was far too glad and relieved for that._

_"Thank you, Mrs. Davis", Lucas expressed his gratitude, his voice filled with emotion. Feeling like he had finally gotten through to this ice queen, Lucas spoke again, "Mrs. Davis, Brooke will be getting released from the hospital in a few days after spending weeks hospitalized. Is there anything you would like me to tell her?", he asked hopefully as he looked at his sobbing girlfriend through her room's window, knowing that even a single caring word from Victoria could mend her broken heart._

_"Tell her that she can use my credit card if she needs anything", Victoria coldly ended the conversation, dismissing any hope that Lucas might have had that Victoria would show any kindness or sympathy towards Brooke. Paying her off was the only thing Victoria was capable of as a mother. As he closed Brooke's phone, Lucas shook his head in anger and disbelief and entered Brooke's room with only one thing on his mind- to hold Brooke in his arms and never let her go in order to show her how special and wonderful she was, how much he loved her..._

_-End of Flashback-_

As Lucas finished replaying that dreadful conversation in his head, he realized that Brooke was slightly shifting in his arms with discomfort. He immediately loosened up his hold on Brooke and looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, babe. Did I hurt you?", he asked her with concern, the tension in his face easing up when Brooke grinned at him in response.

"You did a good job of letting me feel those muscles...", Brooke joked and stroked Lucas' chest affectionately, telling him that she was alright. When he only half smiled back at her, still bothered by his conversation with Victoria, Brooke cupped his cheek and tilted his face so he would look her in the eye, "What's going on, broody?", Brooke's cheery voice was replaced with a serious one as she searched his eyes for an answer. Lucas simply took her hand off his cheek, brought it to his lips and kissed it, making sure to be gentle with his grip this time.

"I just never want you to doubt that I love you, Brooke, because I do- more than anything in the world", Lucas shared his heartfelt words with Brooke while looking deeply into her eyes, wanting to ensure that she understood how sincere he was. After witnessing the way Victoria treated her, Lucas swore to himself that he would make sure that Brooke would know that she was loved, and would never feel lonely, neglected or unwanted again.

"God, you are such a brooder!", Brooke laughed, relieved that Lucas' seriousness wasn't caused by anything bad, "But I love it about you, boyfriend", she said, allowing her own sentimental tone color her words and show Lucas her genuine appreciation for the amazing love he showed her. She wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck and leaned up to kiss his lips, "I love you too, Luke", Brooke told Lucas in-between kisses and when she finally broke up the long kiss, she smiled at Lucas lovingly, her fingers gently caressing his neck.

"A brooder, huh?", Lucas kinked his eyebrow at Brooke playfully after he finally caught his breath. He began tickling the exposed skin between Brooke's top and pants, causing Brooke to squeal and then begin to giggle.

"You know you are!", Brooke laughed even louder but didn't back off as Lucas continued tickling her, careful not to touch the still-sensitive areas in her stomach, where she had been hurt.

"You're calling me a brooder?", Lucas continued playing their game, infected by Brooke's contagious laughter and beginning to chuckle as well.

"Yeah!", Brooke replied as she squirmed, laughing so hard she was almost getting dizzy. As Lucas' fingers continued wiggling against her skin, Brooke finally gave up, realizing he wasn't backing off, "O.K., O.K... You win!", Brooke gave in, caughing and laughing from their exerting game, "You're not a brooder", Brooke put her hands up, admitting her defeat.

"Thank you!", Lucas smirked, satisfied with his victory, yet Brooke mischievously grinned at him, causing him to realize she wasn't quite done yet.

"You're a cheerleader! Happy?", Brooke playfully declared and then burst out laughing at her silly word game and at the thought of Lucas performing a cheerleading routine.

"I think I'll go with brooder after all...", Lucas admitted in defeat, realizing that Brooke definitely won their little playful game. He looked at Brooke, who was still giggling, and couldn't help but smile adoringly, "God... I just love your beautiful smile...", he lovingly told Brooke, staring at her with admiration.

"I love you too, cheerleader!", Brooke couldn't stop laughing at her joke and even though it was at his expense, Lucas didn't care, because he was just so glad to see her laughing and simply being happy.

"Come here, silly", Lucas chuckled and opened his arms up invitingly, almost instantly closing them around the girl that rushed to hug him.

"I can't believe that this is it...", Brooke whispered into Lucas' skin after a long, calm silence.

"Then you'd better!", Brooke and Lucas broke apart and turned around to face the source of the voice that had just spoken.

"Dr. Goldstein!", Brooke gladly and affectionately greeted the man that was responsible for her ability to stand on her own two feet before him that day and that cared for her so much during her entire progress towards recovery.

"As much as I will miss you- it's time for you to go back to your life, Brooke", Dr. Goldstein kindly smiled at Brooke and then handed her a small stack of paper, "These are your release forms. You are all set to go", he told Brooke, smiling at the almost-healthy girl that stood before him and thinking about the remarkable progress she made from the heartbreaking condition in which she was handed to him all the way to becoming the lovely, perky girl that was grinning at him.

"I will see you in a week for a check-up. Remember to take it easy this week and get as much rest as you can", Dr. Goldstein gave Brooke instructions once again, knowing her bubbly nature and wanting to stress that she still needed to let her body regain some strength. As Brooke obediently nodded, Dr. Goldstein turned to Lucas, "I don't want Brooke to be alone this week. Please supervise her and make sure she doesn't wear herself out", he guided Lucas.

"You know I will", Lucas ensured Dr. Goldstein, who smiled at him calmly, completely trusting the boy to look after the patient he was about to let back into the world.

"Alright then- I hope you'll feel even better next week, and if you need anything or suddenly don't feel well, call me immediately", Dr. Goldstein took out a business card and handed it to Brooke.

"Thank you for saving my life and taking such good care of me, Dr. Goldstein! I will never be able to thank you enough...", Brooke walked up to Dr. Goldstein and gave him a warm hug, surprising him and causing him to chuckle for a moment before he returned the gesture.

"You're welcome, Brooke. It was my pleasure", he honestly told Brooke and then broke apart from her, smiling at her caringly, mirroring Brooke's actions.

"Thank you for fixing my girl, Dr. Goldstein", it was Lucas' turn to express his gratitude and give Dr. Goldstein a man to man hug.

"It's quite alright, Lucas... You had a lot to do with it yourself...", Dr. Goldstein kindly said as he drew away from Lucas and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, showing him how much he admired the way he had handled the entire ordeal. The two smiled at each other for a moment, and then Lucas walked back to Brooke and took her hand in his.

"Alright then... So I will see you next week", Dr. Goldstein turned to Brooke for concluding words. After she nodded at him, he looked back to Lucas again, "And Lucas- would you like to wheel Brooke out or should I call a medical assistant to do that?", he questioned Lucas sincerely.

"You're kidding, right?", Brooke asked Dr. Goldstein in an unpleased voice. The hopeful look she had in her eyes as she believed that Dr. Goldstein might be joking vanished as he shook his head, ascertaining her that he was completely serious. "No way, Dr. Goldstein! I am not doing it!", she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Brooke, but that's the hospital's policy...", Dr. Goldstein shrugged, powerless to change the hospital's strict rules.

"Come on, Dr. Goldstein, I'm completely capable of walking out of here with my own two feet!", Brooke stubbornly insisted. She found the idea of being taken out in a wheelchair ridiculous and humiliating.

"That might be true, but the regulations state that a patient who had been hospitalized must not walk out of the facility by foot, but be taken out by a supervisor...", Dr. Goldstein recited, causing Lucas' eyes to brighten as he spotted Keith advancing towards them and an idea popped into his head.

"I think that can be arranaged...", Lucas said with a mischevous smirk, causing both Brooke and Dr. Goldstein to stare at him questioningly.

"Hey Keith!", Lucas called out to his uncle, who finally opened Brooke's door, "Can you take these for me?", Lucas strectched his hands and soon handed Brooke's bags over to a puzzled Keith.

"Sure...", Keith replied with confusion, "Why...", he began asking, but soon understood the reason Lucas needed to free his hands, as Lucas lifted a surprised Brooke onto his back, causing her to giggle and then lean her head on Lucas' shoulder happily.

"There!", Lucas looked at Dr. Goldstein with a satisfied grin, "What do you say?", he playfully challenged the doctor, who couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable couple before him.

"I guess that teh wheelchair won't be needed this time...", Dr. Goldstein ruled, causing Brooke to happily squeal and clap her hands, and then kiss the side of Lucas' neck in relief and joy.

"Yay! Thank you, boyfriend!", she cheerfully said, causing Lucas to smile, glad that he was able to make his girl happy.

"Sure, babe...", he laughed and then winked at Dr. Goldstein thankfully, "Bye doctor!", he said as Brooke waved to him.

"Bye!", Dr. Goldstein replied, watching the patient he had grown so fond of finally leaving the medical institute and going back to the big world that awaited her.

"This is it, baby...", Lucas excitedly said to Brooke as he carried her towards the hospital's exit, thinking about the way he helped lift her up from being a shattered, shaken up doll, broken into pieces and into being the perky, lively girl whose smile could light up a room. At that moment, with Brooke pressed securely to his back, Lucas made a solemn promise to always stand by Brooke's side and help pick her up if she would ever hit a low point again. Lucas smiled as they reached the parking lot and a nice breeze caressed his cheeks as warm sunbeams tickled his eyelashes. He knew that this exact moment was the beginning of a fresh start, a new life, a beautiful love that only started to blossom...

* * *

**AN: Alright, so I had a pretty bad week which consisted of spending time in the emergency room due to pain in my stomach (which still hasn't gotten that much better...) and of being notified that I didn't get accepted to a writing program I applied to. So I hope that this didn't affect my writing, because right now I don't feel very confident about it for obvious reasons... I could really use your reviews, as they always cheer me up! ;-)**


	30. Chapter 30

**I really can't believe that this is the last time I'm doing this, but this is the last chapter of this story. I truly want to thank everybody who read this and helped me continue with this story and finally complete it. As I already said, this was my first fanfic, so all of your support meant a lot to me and truly encouraged me to continue, so thank-you! I really hope that you'll enjoy this chapter, and I'll ask you, for one last time, to please tell me what you thought- about this chapter, about the story in general, or about whatever else you would like to tell me. It would be really great to also hear from people who have been reading this and haven't shared their thoughts with me yet. So for one last time- enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 30**

"Brooke, we're home. It's time to wake up, babe…", Lucas softly said and kissed the top of Brooke's head, which was leaning on his chest. Even though the drive from the Riverview hospital to Tree Hill took only thirty minutes, all the excitement and energy she spent that day exhausted Brooke and caused her to fall asleep against Lucas. As Lucas saw that in response to his attempt to awaken her, Brooke only shifted slightly, he began to gently stroke her back and tried again, "Cheery- we're here", he whispered into Brooke's ear.

"Mmm… Already?", Brooke mumbled, still half asleep, causing both Lucas and Keith, who was sitting in the driver's seat, to chuckle. She straightened herself out and rubbed her eyes tiredly, letting out a yawn.

"Let's go, sleepy-head", Lucas pulled Brooke out of the car and took her hand in his once she stood on the ground steadily. Seeing that her eyelids drooped over her eyes, though, he quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, to give her more support.

"I'll take care of Brooke's bags, just help her in", Keith said in response to Lucas' outstretched hand, which offered to take the two bags from him. He smiled at his nephew and his sleepy girlfriend fondly, and let Lucas lead the way with a barely awake Brooke at his side. Lucas paused by the entrance door to his house and grinned as he saw Brooke close her eyes again, lean on his body and hug his waist as she snuggled into him. He foreseeingly tightened his grip on Brooke with one hand as he swiftly opened the door with the other.

"Surprise! Welcome back, Brooke!", as soon as Lucas opened the door, Karen, Haley and Nathan called out, completely startling Brooke and causing her to jump and open her eyes completely.

"You guys scared the crap out of me!", Brooke exclaimed, putting her hand over her heart and causing all those present to laugh out loud.

"Are you O.K., babe?", Lucas asked through his laughter, squeezing Brooke to his side lovingly, only then realizing that she was slightly trembling. "Brooke?", his expression turned serious in a moment as he looked at Brooke's face, which paled a bit.

"I'm fine…", she finally found her voice and replied, "But don't you dare wake me up like that again…", Brooke joked, lightening the mood back up and causing Lucas to smile in relief. However, Karen, who could see that their loud greeting managed to shake Brooke up a little, quickly approached her with a glass of water.

"Here you go, honey", Karen kindly smiled at Brooke and handed her the glass, which Brooke downed in one shot.

"Geez, Davis, this was a glass of water", Nathan told Brooke in amusement, "What did you think it was?", he asked her humorously.

"Vodka, considering what you guys did to my heart…", Brooke playfully replied, causing everyone, except for Karen, to laugh wholeheartedly.

"I see we're going to have to set some ground rules in this house…", Karen raised her eyebrow and looked at Brooke warningly. Haley and Nathan shared an uncomfortable glance and quickly walked over to the living room, to avoid the awkward moment.

"I was only kidding…", Brooke was quick to ascertain Karen with a dimpled smile, "I promise…", she added in a more serious tone, fearing that she had caused Karen to regret having let her move in. She realized that finally, someone was actually paying attention to what she was doing and felt like she had to prove herself worthy to Karen for letting her into her home.

"Good", Karen replied, only now allowing a smile to grace her face. She believed in Brooke, yet realized that the girl was used to getting away with anything without her parents even acknowledging that she was doing something wrong, and wanted to set her on the right path from now on. Seeing the nervous expression on Brooke's face, Karen widened her smile, realizing that the girl was far too grateful and loyal to mess with her trust.

"Welcome home", she told Brooke in a soft tone, wanting to show her that she truly meant it and causing Brooke to sigh in relief.

"I promise you won't regret this", Brooke said with a lot of sentiment as she hugged Karen gratefully. "I'll be on my best behavior and do whatever you tell me and won't cause any trouble", she continued rambling and then scrunched her face and awkwardly added, "not on purpose at least…". In response, Karen finally laughed, squeezing Brooke to her before releasing her from the hug and putting her hand on Brooke's cheek in a motherly gesture.

"You are truly something, Brooke…", she told her adoringly, causing Brooke to smile shyly at her. "Go have fun", Karen said to her quietly with a wink, causing Brooke's smile to widen and allowing her to reunite with Lucas, who immediately pulled her over to the living room, to join Haley and Nathan.

"So how did the damage control go?", Nathan smirked at Brooke.

"Perfect!", Brooke cheerfully replied, displaying a wide smile.

"Karen let you go that easily?", Nathan asked in disbelief and then added humorously, "Davis, I thought your middle name was trouble...".

"I wish...", Brooke replied with a huff as she was reminded of her dreadful middle name, sending Lucas, Haley and Nathan into a fit of laughs. Brooke smiled as she watched her three closest friends continuing to laugh and simply having a good time and couldn't help but feel happy and complete. Before everything that had happened, Brooke would have needed a much more entertaining and adventurous activity to keep her from getting bored, but she had matured and learned to appreciate every little moment of happiness she had. And that simple moment, with her friends surrounding her and enjoying each other's company, was nothing short of perfect in Brooke's eyes. She felt happy, she felt safe and she felt loved.

Brooke leaned into Lucas and kissed his cheek blissfully, afterwards whispering into his ear, "It's good to be home...".

* * *

After they had finished eating dinner together, Haley and Nathan helped clean up, thanked Karen and Keith and left, promising Brooke and Lucas that they would talk to them on the next day. As he heard Nathan's car pull out of the driveway, Lucas came up to Brooke and hugged her from behind.

"Babe, I think it might be time for you to get some rest", Lucas suggested, resting his hands on Brooke's flat stomach and stroking it up and down with his thumbs.

"That's not a bad idea...", Brooke agreed, as she suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion sail through her body, causing her to lean her head against Lucas' chest. "I'd better change into something more comfortable first. Do you know where Keith put my bags?", she looked up at Lucas and asked. Lucas simply gave Brooke a mysterious smile and moved from behind Brooke to her side, wrapping his arm around Brooke's shoulders.

"Come with me", was all he said, not reacting to any of Brooke's questioning glances at him. He slowly walked Brooke over to his bedroom, which Brooke had yet to enter, and paused before its closed door.

"Luke...", Brooke guiltily and uncomfortably looked up at him, "You don't have to give up your room for me...", she said.

"Just open the door, Brooke", Lucas instructed Brooke with a confident smile.

"Luke...", Brooke continued to uneasily stare at him and tried to decline. She felt like Lucas had already done enough for her and truly didn't want to see him making yet another sacrifice for her sake.

"Go on, babe", Lucas encouraged her softly and something in his eyes told Brooke to just listen to him. She sighed and opened the door, averting her gaze from Lucas over to his bedroom, and gasped the moment she saw the sight before her.

"Oh my god", Brooke whispered in shock, taking little steps into the room and taking in what she was seeing. She expected to find her two bags waiting for her on Lucas' bed, but instead she found all of Lucas' belongings rearranged, now taking up only half of the room, while the other half consisted of all of her belongings, including her bed, her beloved doll house and her favorite childhood stuffed animal- her purple monkey.

"Luke... I don't know what to say...", Brooke said in a shaky voice, completely overwhelmed and touched by the gesture. She felt like a simple 'thank-you' just wouldn't be enough to express how grateful she was.

"Um... If you'd rather stay in a separate room, I could just move to the guest-room or something...", Lucas offered, unable to read Brooke's face at that moment and fearing that he was moving too fast for Brooke with the proposal of a shared bedroom.

"No", Brooke immediately replied, smiling at Lucas as tears welled up in her eyes, "I... this... it's perfect...", she stuttered as she attempted to tell Lucas just how much she loved the idea through her rising emotions. She walked up to Lucas and buried herself inside his arms, hugging his neck tightly, "Thank you, boyfriend", she whispered into his ear, closing her eyes and getting lost in his hug.

"Well, I'd better let you get changed", after a long, comfortable silence, Lucas finally released Brooke from his arms. As he walked towards the door, intending to leave the room, Brooke looked after him, still feeling like she hadn't done enough to thank Lucas for letting her into his home, into his room, into his world.

"Wait!", Brooke called out just as Lucas was about to step out of the room, causing him to turn back and look at her questioningly. "Stay", she asked him and Lucas smiled at her and stepped back into the room, closing the door behind him.

Continuing to look at Lucas intently, Brooke stepped out of her flip-flops and took her shirt off in one swift movement.

"Brooke...", Lucas uncomfortably said, but she only began to unbutton her pants, her eyes still locked on him. Lucas wanted to stop her, knowing that it was still too early for what she was trying to do, but as Brooke pulled her jeans down and let them slide down her legs, his breath grew ragged and all he could do was lock the door and watch the beautiful girl before him.

Brooke stepped out of her pants and gestured with her finger for Lucas to come over to her. Transfixed, Lucas could only do as he was told and walked up to Brooke, stopping right before her. Brooke advanced towards him a little more, causing Lucas to let out a small groan as her hot breaths tickled his neck. She quickly pulled Lucas' shirt over his head and tossed it carelessly onto his bed, regaining eye-contact with Lucas within a moment. Brooke helped Lucas out of his shorts and soon the two stood, facing each other, only wearing their under-garments. Lucas eyed Brooke's gorgeous body with lust, but as his eyes landed on the small marks that were still slightly showing on her stomach, he frowned, remembering that he was still supposed to be looking after Brooke and not having his way with her. Brooke noticed the way he was staring at her and spoke.

"I'm fine", as if she could read his mind, Brooke reassured Lucas. He lifted two apologetic eyes up to Brooke, feeling bad for even thinking about going along with her, but as she leaned into him and crashed her lips into his, any thought or logic left his mind. The way that her tongue danced against his mouth, begging for entrance, caused Lucas to feel shivers going up his spine and finally feeling her bare skin pressed against his didn't allow Lucas to even think about saying no to her. His hands quickly found their way to Brooke's hips and pulled her even closer to him as he granted her tongue entrance to his mouth and deepened the kiss. As he held her against him, Lucas could suddenly feel how Brooke's body was slightly trembling. Resisting the temptation of continuing to feel her soft lips against his, Lucas pulled away from Brooke and eyed her intently.

"Brooke, are you sure?", he asked her seriously, looking at her carefully as she struggled to even out her breaths as well.

Brooke nodded, looking straight at Lucas with determination, yet he could see the suppressed fear in the back of her eyes. When she shakily added, "Just be gentle with me", Lucas realized without a doubt what he had to do. He wrapped his arms around Brooke's body and lifted her over to his bed, gently positioning her on top of his lap as he sat down. Brooke shifted across his lap until she was straddling him and, keeping her eyes on his, took her bra off with her trembling hands. Lucas stared down at her perfect breasts and couldn't help but cup them with his hands and caress them lightly. He bent down and gently kissed one breast and then the other, afterwards moving his trail of soft kisses up to Brooke's collar bone and neck. As he watched Brooke close her eyes, he carefully lifted her arms up, kissing up along them from her shoulder up to her fingers. Holding her arms up with one hand, he quickly reached for his previously discarded shirt, which lay next to him and gently helped Brooke's hands, and then head, into it.

"Luke...", Brooke opened her eyes and stared at him questioningly. Even though his kisses were soft and tender and not the usual frantic, passionate ones he would always give her, she thought that he wanted what she was offering, and simply trying to treat her like she had done him the first time they had gotten together.

"Baby, I love you for wanting to do this for me, but you're not ready yet", he gently said to her, cupping her cheek in his hand and brushing over it with his thumb. He hoped that Brooke wouldn't react as strongly as she had the previous time she had tried to be intimate with him before being ready to do so, but he was willing to take the chance in order to protect her.

"I'll be fine", Brooke shrugged and let her eyes slip away from Lucas', so he won't be able to read her through them, but not before he saw her vulnerability in them.

"Hey", he lifted up Brooke's face so she would look at him once again, "I want it to be perfect the next time we make love, and when the time will be right, we'll both know it. Right now I would just like to hold you in my arms, alright?", Lucas said to Brooke, causing her to force a small smile and nod. Lucas did as he said he would and brought Brooke into his arms, lying down on his bed and pulling Brooke over him.

"I'm sorry", Lucas suddenly heard Brooke say.

"It's O.K.", he softly said, "It's not your fault", Lucas kissed Brooke's neck and began to rub up and down her back.

"I just hope I can be good enough for you again", Brooke mumbled, unable to help but share with Lucas what troubled her mind.

"Where did that come from?", Lucas asked as he looked down at Brooke and frowned, "Brooke, you're good enough for me no matter what. Nobody and nothing can change that because I love you", he told Brooke, squeezing her to him as he spoke. He was filled with anger towards Brooke's parents for mistreating her and causing her to doubt her worth, yet as Brooke finally looked up at him, his face immediately softened.

"I love you too", she said to him, leaning up to him for a short kiss and afterwards resting her head back on his chest and snuggling into his body. Lucas pulled the blankets from underneath them and covered Brooke and himself up.

"Come on, babe- get some sleep", he said to her softly, beginning to stroke Brooke's hair with one hand and arm with the other, applying the same delicacy he would have used had she been a porcelain doll. Affected by his soothing actions, Brooke started to drift off and completely fell asleep within a matter of several minutes.

Lucas continued watching Brooke for a while, glad to finally have her back in his room, simply sleeping by his side, buried in his t-shirt, yet he couldn't help but feel resentment as he thought about everything they had both been forced to endure since the last time they lay this way in his bed. Even though Dan was now locked up in jail for life and Brooke was once again sleeping safely in his arms, he was wondering if it was all worth it. If things wouldn't have been tremendously better had he simply given Dan's account book to Deb or something, and would have let her be the one to handle Dan.

Lucas couldn't have known that despite all the heartache he had felt, he saved himself and his loved ones from a far-worse fate. He couldn't have known that his mother would have stuck with Andy for a while longer, making the ache in Keith's heart much worse. He couldn't have known that Dan would have pushed Nathan so far, he would have gotten involved in cheating on the basketball court, just so he could support himself and Haley, and would have ruined his basketball career due to that. He couldn't have known that Dan would have stepped into his school a year later, during a school shooting they would have, and would have taken Keith away from him forever. And he couldn't have known that his grief from his loss would have eventually driven Brooke away from him, not allowing them to have the happy ending they were now about to have...

* * *

Six months later, life seemed great- Brooke was healthy again and she and Lucas got accepted to the same university, which offered both an excellent writing program and basketball team for Lucas and a program specializing in fashion for Brooke, the direction she now sought in life. Nathan and Haley were expecting a baby and Keith and Karen had just gotten married in a beautiful ceremony.

Brooke had returned home after the wedding and waited for Lucas to come back from the airport, where he dropped off the newly-weds for their flight to Italy, where they were about to have their honeymoon. It was pouring rain in Tree Hill, but luckily for Keith and Karen, Italy was preparing a sunny week for them.

By the time Lucas parked the car in front of his room, it was raining even harder. Lucas was glad that Karen and Keith's plane had already safely taken off, but sighed as he thought about the walk he was about to have from his car to his house's doorstep in the heavy rain. Only the thought of Brooke waiting for him inside the house caused him to reluctantly get out of the car and sprint over to his house.

Lucas was about to open the door and enter the house when he saw a note on the entrance door on which the word _'shoes'_ was written, along with an arrow pointing to the floor. Lucas smiled, realizing that Brooke had meant what she said when she told his mother she would take care of the house while she was gone, and obediently took his wet shoes off and placed them next to the door mat.

He entered the house and was immediately met with yet another note which hung down from the lamp on the ceiling and reached exactly his eye level. This note said _'jacket'_ and pointed to the coat rack to his left. Lucas chuckled as he took his jacket off and hung it on the coat rack, admiring how his girlfriend was turning into a perfect housewife.

Just as he was wondering what else Brooke had in store for him, he noticed a trail of paper stars on the floor. He curiously followed the trail and was surprised to find himself in the laundry room. He questioningly looked around him, wondering whether Brooke was now going to drag him into doing the laundry with her, but was soon met with yet another note. This note rested on the laundry basket and had three words written on it- _'pants, shirt, socks'_. Only now did Lucas realize that Brooke's motives for having him take his shoes and jacket off weren't as innocent as he first thought. He smiled at Brooke's mischievous ways, yet did as she asked in her note, stripping down and remaining only in his boxers. He looked at the floor and realized that a new trail of pink paper hearts was ready to lead him out of the laundry room.

Lucas gladly followed the trail and quickly reached his closed bedroom door. On his door there was one more note that simply said _'Come in...'_, and Lucas needed to take a deep breath before he closed his hand around the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"Hello, broody...", Brooke immediately greeted her boyfriend in her raspy voice, smiling at him seductively. Lucas simply stared at her with widened eyes, taking in the sight of her standing before him in a silky red robe that reached a bit above her knees. As he failed to respond, Brooke's grin widened and she slowly walked up to him, swaying her hips from side to side in a way she knew would drive him crazy. As she reached him, Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss, to which Lucas immediately reacted. He wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her to him as he enjoyed the feeling of her sweet lips slipping in between his own lips and pressing against them.

Brooke abruptly pulled out of the kiss and just as Lucas questioningly frowned, she leaned towards his ear and huskily whispered, "I've got one more note for you...", she told him and then looked over to his chest of drawers. As she promised, a note lay on top of it, and when Lucas read it, his eyes widened- _'robe'_.

Seeing that Lucas looked at it hesitantly, Brooke bit her lower lip and untied her robe's belt, letting it slide open a little and reveal her matching lacy underwear and bra from underneath it.

"Go on, boyfriend...", Brooke urged him to help her out of the robe, and this time Lucas pulled it off her shoulders and tossed it away, straight onto the chest of drawers.

"I figured you won't need any more notes after this", Brooke sexily said to Lucas, who, in response, finally pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her senselessly.

With their mouths attached to one another, Brooke and Lucas made their way over to Lucas' bed and tumbled onto it, side by side. Lucas' fingers quickly found their way to the clasp of Brooke's bra and expertly unlatched it and tossed it to the side. Needing to feel as much of Brooke's skin attached to him as possible, Lucas carefully flipped Brooke onto her back and climbed on top of her, pressing his body into her warm, soft one. He felt his hips involuntarily grind into hers, causing Brooke to let out a moan, which, as it always would, completely turned Lucas on. With one hand pressing against one of Brooke's breasts and the other making its way up her thigh, Lucas was happier than ever that he had waited until then to finally make love to Brooke again, because now he could tell that Brooke was truly enjoying it too, and not only him.

"God, I missed you, pretty girl...", Lucas breathed out against Brooke's skin, immediately freezing after he spoke and hitting his head with frustration. There it was, the perfect moment, and he had just completely ruined it by not keeping his mouth shut. "I'm sorry, Brooke... I am so, so sorry...", he apologized, closing his eyes in agony, unable to believe that he was so careless to remind Brooke of the horrible events she underwent.

"It's alright", Brooke replied, and as Lucas opened his eyes, he was surprised to find Brooke smiling calmly at him. "I'm fine now, boyfriend", she reminded him, and looking deeply into his eyes, she sincerely said, "I won't let him haunt me anymore... I want to be your pretty girl again".

As Lucas heard what she said, he was overcome by joy, realizing that Dan's dreadful shadow was finally out of their lives for good. As he lovingly looked into Brooke's eyes, he knew that he didn't even have to ask her if she was sure or if she was ready, because it was the right moment, and they both knew it.

Lucas pulled Brooke's underwear down her legs and then got rid of his boxers. He leaned over to the drawer beside his bed and took a condom out of it. He carefully stroked Brooke's body, letting his fingers find their way back to all of Brooke's sensitive spots, which he was suddenly reminded of, before mumbling to her, "You're so beautiful", and then the two of them became one. Their mutual gentle movements quickly grew faster and rougher and soon they came together, remaining in each other's embrace until they both caught their breaths and then flipping over so Brooke was lying on top of Lucas. Lucas continued kissing Brooke tenderly until they both grew exhausted and fell asleep in each other's arms, feeling more in love than ever.

The next morning, once Lucas woke up, he simply stared at the strikingly pretty girl that slept soundly in his arms and couldn't help but smile to himself. Finally, after so much heartache, he was truly and completely happy. Brooke, the girl he loved so much it made his heart hurt, was finally lying in the safety of his arms, where she belonged. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on her slightly, just to make sure that this blissful reality wasn't merely a tantilizing dream, but he already knew that this time, it was for real. This time, he was about to have all his dreams come true.

Lucas carefully brushed a stray strand of hair away from Brooke's eyes and whispered to her softly, "I love you, pretty girl". He caressed her cheek gently and kissed her forehead lightly, careful not to wake her up. "I'll never leave you again, Brooke. I promise…", he said, knowing that this time, he would be loyal to his word and stick by Brooke's side throughout the wonderful future he imagined that they would have, which, unknown to him at that point, would in a matter of time become his reality and be filled with everything they had both ever wished for.

-The End-

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**AN: I really hope that this chapter was as good as you all hoped it would be, and was a good enough ending for this story! I'm thinking about writing a new Brucas fanfic, set in my version of season 6, so it could be great to hear if any of you would be interested in reading it!**

**Thanks again to all of you for everything!**

**superstargirl7 ;-)**


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